Marvel: 1900
by DA2003
Summary: At the turn of the 20th century, a team is founded to deal with threats to Britain and her Empire. With characters from the Marvel Universe set a century in the past, how will the fate of this World turn out? Read, enjoy and review!
1. The Beginning

Marvel: 1900

London, England: May 1900:

He was a short man that was the first thing most people noticed about James Howlett. His hair also brought attention as it drove up behind his head and stuck up at two points behind his head like the ears of a wild animal. Howlett was also quite possibly the scruffiest man alive, just looking at him gave people the impression he could wrinkle a suit of armour. He looked in his early twenties but gave the impression of being much, much older.

His clothes were out of place too, a brown skin jacket and leather trousers with black, scuffed boots. A flat brimmed Stetson hat adorned his head, the brown colouring stained or worn away at various spots. He looked quite like a cowboy who was down on his luck and wasn't cared about who knew it. Of course, the fact Howlett was dressed like this would have made him stand out in London itself but he was also in one of the keystones of power of the British Empire, the Old War Office Building at Whitehall.

As suited men walked past by him, Howlett earned himself many curious glances due to his general appearance. Though many of the men in the building were accustomed to such clothing on their… travels, it was something of a surprise to see it in the building itself. Howlett paid no attention to their glances, his mind on more important matters. Such as whom he was about to meet and the topic of their conversation. Howlett had been waiting for several minutes already and was starting to lose his patience… what there had been to begin with anyway.

An old grandfather clock sat further down the hallway where its methodical ticking had been grating on Howlett's already frayed nerves since he had sat down. Never a patient man to begin with, he had finally reached the end of his tether when the door finally opened and a face came out of the room "Come in Mr. Howlett, sorry to keep you waiting but other matters had to be attended to first." The voice belonged to the head of the Secret Service Bureau, William Melville **(1)**. Melville stood by the door, giving Howlett room to walk by. He was well dressed as usual, his moustache well trimmed and what was left of his hair finely cut. Howlett brushed past him, barely bothering to give any form of greeting beside a grunt. He lumbered into the office and sat down heavily on a chair, paying no heed as Melville closed the door and sat down at his desk.

Melville shuffled his papers before looking towards Howlett and saying in his rather suppressed Irish accent **(2) **"I've been informed what you did in South Africa, quite remarkable. How did you make it seem as if la Rey and the others had been killed by wild animals?" **(3) **The tone in Melville's voice was one of curiosity and a little repulsed. Although the man was the father of modern British Intelligence agencies, he still had a very gentleman streak when it came down to it, assassinations did not sit well with him.

Howlett shrugged at the question "I'm just good at what I do." He replied flippantly "But I take it you didn't summon me here just for a talk on South Africa. All's that's left is the mopping up anyway."

Melville gave a nod before reaching over his desk and pulling the stand to his mouth and transmitter to his ear. After dialling for a few seconds, he spoke into it "Yes… Melville here… Yes, send them in please." Melville then placed the telephone down back on his desk and turned to Howlett "In brief Howlett, you're here for a new assignment, one which could very well decide the fate of Britain and the Empire."

Howlett gave Melville a tired look and simply pulled out a cigar and matchbook from his pocket, lighting a match on the sole of his shoe before taking a puff "When doesn't it?" He asked sardonically as he put the matches back in his pocket "And who was that you called in?"

"Partners in what could be the greatest enterprise in British Intelligence." Melville raised his hand as Howlett opened his mouth "And if you use that damned 'contradiction-in-terms' joke once more Howlett, so help me I'll…"

What Melville planned to do should Howlett have used that joke was to go unknown as a knock at the door interrupted his words. After Melville called out "Enter." Two people entered, one was a handsome middle aged man, tall with a tanned countenance, a very fine suit and a very neatly trimmed goatee. Howlett looked past that though and instead focused on the woman behind him, one of the most beautiful he had ever seen. Her skin was of dark mahogany, with long, pure white hair and bright blue eyes that shone brilliantly. Her tall body was covered in a simple dark dress and her face had a look of disgruntled defiance on it. Howlett suddenly realised that he'd been staring for a little too long and looked back to Melville with a questioning look.

"Mr. Howlett, I'd like to introduce you to Dr. Nathaniel Essex, head of the Royal Society for the Study of Genetics."

Howlett looked over Essex, unimpressed "Never heard of it." He muttered.

"We're fairly new." Essex said good naturedly "So far there's only me, the tea boy and the works of Gregor Mendel on my bookshelf." **(4)**

"Yep, it's an English run job alright." Howlett muttered before looking over to the other figure "And you are?"

The woman looked Howlett in the eye and drew herself up, clearly showing that she wasn't a demure flower "My name is Ororo N'Dare Mr. Howlett. And I trust that my appearance surprises you?"

"You mean that they didn't make you come through the servant's entrance?" Howlett asked "Nah, as far as I'm concerned, we've got something in common; else Melville wouldn't have brought us here. Sides, why do I care if you're dark or not? You look as if you can handle yourself just as good as anyone else."

"Miss N'Dare is the Princess of a tribe from our dominions in Kenya." Melville said, wanting to get straight to business "She agreed to our request to be a part of this organization in return…"

"In return that my people's crops wouldn't be burned nor their cattle slaughtered." Ororo shot out, her gaze focused harshly on Melville "Do not think I am some lap dog to the British Crown. I am here simply because I was threatened and cajoled and blackmailed into it, nothing more."

Melville waved his hand dismissively "I was not present at those negotiations between you and the British representatives. But I do know your people are getting access to better medicine and education due to your co-operation." He decided to cut out any further argument by saying "Regardless of that, you've been summoned here for a single reason. Doubtless you've heard of the rise in people with incredible abilities, much like you have Howlett and N'Dare. Just the other day I've received word of a man in France who can make things explode on contact and a Russian who can turn his skin into unbreakable metal. The British Government needs a response to the growth in numbers of these…"

"Adapts, I've personally named them." Essex piped in "From the evolutionary concept of adaptation. What we're seeing here in the next stage in Human evolution, where Mankind finally adapts to overcome…" Essex stopped as he noticed the stares he was getting before giving a cough "Regardless, I think 'Adapts' is a good enough name for now."

The other three shared a look which shared a rather unpleasant thought before Howlett looked over to Melville "So we're just here to make sure the rest of us don't get uppity? Is that it?"

A sigh came from Melville in exasperation "No Howlett, you're here to protect Britain and her Empire and the people who live in it. What is good for Britain may very well be good for you somewhere down the road, do remember that Miss N'Dare. But for now, you're needed to recruit another potential of our league. One who's been less than responsive to our offers so far. We want you and Miss N'Dare to go in person to persuade him, we think it'd be more persuasive coming from fellow… Adapts."

A roll of Howlett's eyes was the first answer Melville got before the agent said "So… we're a recruiting party now? I've had worse jobs… So who's the lucky man?"

Melville opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out, of all things, a circus poster "His name is Kurt Wagner, a German by nationality, Catholic by faith. He's an old performer in the Munich Circus, having to leave due to something of a scandal and now resides in a Monastery in Bavaria." He leant over and gave Howlett the poster, pointing to a drawn face on it. It had dark blue fur and bright yellow eyes with no pupils with a mouth decorated with fangs. Howlett passed it to N'Dare, noting her calm reaction to it.

"Quite a mask he's got on there." Howlett said as the poster was passed to Essex who pondered at the picture.

"That isn't a mask." Melville said simply "That is his face, covered in fur and eyes with no pupils. He apparently only has three fingers and has been likened to a Demon in appearance." Melville allowed himself a smirk "Quite ironic for someone who's currently attempting to become a priest."

"So we go to this Monastery, convince the blue Demon to join us and then return to England with him?" Howlett asked, masking his surprise about their target's appearance beneath a mask of coolness "And how're we supposed to convince him when everyone else hasn't?"

Melville shrugged "You of all people should be able to understand his predicament Howlett. An outcast from society, hiding away? You have the ability to talk with him on a level we can't." He motioned towards Essex "Dr. Essex shall not be going with you on this mission, his duties to the Society and the need to establish a proper relationship with the Cabinet overrides all other aspects. You and Miss N'Dare shall travel to Bavaria and attempt to sway him to agree to join our league. By then, affairs should be sorted out enough to brief you on your first mission. We are expecting one final member to join us before we get down to business."

Silence greeted Melville's words as all three considered what was about to happen. Ororo was here because she wanted the best for her people, Essex was interested in it as a purely scientific venture and Howlett… did what he had always done, he had nothing else. Finally, Ororo asked the necessary question "When do we set out?"

"You and Mr. Howlett will be spending the night at the Great Central Hotel **(5) **and shall leave for France on a ferry at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. You will then get a train from Calais to the station nearest the Monastery which should take you no more than three days. I hope your arguments will be convincing enough to bring him over to our side. You shall of course be given files giving you details on Mr. Wagner's life and personality, anything to make your job easier."

Howlett started to rise from his seat, looking over to Ororo "Since we ain't needed here, I say we go and get some sleep. Travellin' for a few days on a train is hardly the best way to spend time when you want to relax."

Ororo also rose from her seat, having travelled up the lengths of Arica, most of it in a train, she was inclined to agree. She glanced over to Melville and said "I hope that we shall get those documents before too long. I want to know as much as I can about this Kurt Wagner before we meet him."

"Of course. They shall be sent to you tonight." Melville replied "A carriage shall be waiting for you outside that will take you to the hotel. I wish you a safe and successful journey."

Melville's farewell was answered with only a brief nod and wave from Howlett and Ororo, both of whom were glad to leave the office. Ororo due to her disdain of anyone that had to do anything with the British Government and Howlett because he was in no mood for hanging around when it was clear the business of the meeting was over. The two got into the carriage waiting outside the building for them and travelled to the hotel, neither one saying a word as they travelled through London, silence being their third companion.

Limehouse, London: 

The girl ran through the darkened streets and alleys of Limehouse, fleeing desperately from her pursuers. They had just finished killing the girl's parents and were now determined to finish the job of wiping out the family so that the threat from them would never arise properly and to show what would happen to anyone who lost a shipment of opium. **(6)** The dark alleys and streets of Limehouse only got worse as the girl, Li Huanxin, ran as fast as she could to escape. She never knew her father was an opium dealer or that he had been cheating on his suppliers. She found out though when the two dealers her father had conned invaded her home and killed her parents, leaving her to flee into the dark streets.

Her pursuers were quickly on her tail however, no one went to help her, in these streets; it paid not to get in the way of the Triads, not if you valued your life anyway. Huanxin ran despite the fire in her chest and the feeling of lead in her legs. She had had a rough life in her fourteen years of living in Limehouse, but she was still unprepared for the mad desperate run she was undertaking, her pursuers never letting up, even getting closer as time wore on as Huanxin's breath grew short with each step she took.

This all came to a screeching halt when Huanxin turned into an unfamiliar alley and realised that she'd gone straight into a dead end. Despair overcoming her, Huanxin collapsed to her knees, taking huge, ragged breaths, starting to sob as she realised that she was crying, out of fear and the realisation that she was about to die. Footsteps got close and then stopped as her two assailants stood over her, one pulling out a knife "_Do not cry, little one,_" Said one voice, slightly mocking in tone "_Soon, you will have nothing to cry about…_" **(7)**

Huanxin looked up as the knife glittered in what little light got into the alley. The blade rose up as the man stepped forward, preparing to bring it down into the girl's face. Out of pure instinct and desperation, Huanxin raised her hands up in a desperate bid to defend herself when, much to her shock, shots of energy came out of her fingers, shooting at her attackers like fireworks at the New Year celebrations. The bright shards of light shot forward and struck the man in his eyes, causing him to cry out in pain and drop his knife, bringing his hands to his injured eyes "_I can't see! What did you do to me you little whore?_" He yelled in agony, while his partner stepped forward, trying to finish off the job before Huanxin could launch another similar attack. It seemed as if he might succeed as the girl was apparently in shock at seeing what she had done.

Before her assailant could land a blow however, Huanxin managed to regain her senses and shot her hand out again at the attacker, somehow bringing herself to will that another burst of energy would come from her fingers and strike the man in front of her. Miracles of miracles, the energy shot from her fingers once more, lancing straight into the man's eyes, blinding him badly. He quickly joined his accomplice in reeling backwards, his eyes in agony of the burning sensations. Seeing her chance, Huanxin rushed past them and fled, going further into the dark streets of London, away from her home.

It took some time before one of the men was able to see anything through his eyes, the pain having made it impossible before now. His vision was severely damaged however and to all intents and purposes, he was nearly blind. He staggered forward, looking in the direction the girl had fled in before turning to his partner. "_S-Should we go after her?_"

The man's partner was quick to shake his head; his injuries even worse "_No… let the bitch get lost. She's some kind of magician. As far as anyone else is concerned, she's dead; our injuries came from a fire. Better that no one but us knows about this._" The two men then started to stumble out towards a safe house, hoping that their injuries would heal and that no one would ever find out about what had happened. Huanxin had already reached the outskirts of Limehouse, hoping that her time of danger had passed. She was, of course, wrong.

Great Central Hotel London:

For one who was accustomed to the plains of Kenya, London was a stifling experience, so many buildings and alleyways, trapping people in with their dark surroundings. Ororo loathed the city and what it represented, the Imperialism which had forced her to leave her home in order to protect her people. She knew that what she wanted more than anything was to return home and be free of the British forever, for them to return to their dingy little island and stay there.

Ororo looked out from her room, which was spacious and quite luxurious, watching the great city before her, repulsed yet somehow fascinated at the thought of so much life just teeming away in one space… A sudden rap on the door rose Ororo from her thoughts but she did not answer, not wanting to speak to anyone. After a moment, the knocking stopped and it seemed as if Ororo had had her way. She was unpleasantly surprised however, when the lock at the door turned and the door itself opened, revealing Howlett with the faintest hint of smugness on his face "Ain't no lock I can't get through." He announces before walking into the room and shutting the door behind him.

Ororo folded her arms, her face with a fierce look of anger on it "What is the meaning of this?" She snapped "Bad enough that I have to work with an Englishman but you even have to invade my privacy?"

Howlett raised his hands up in a defensive manner "I ain't here for an argument, just to talk. You can either listen and maybe we won't spend the next few days at each others throats or I can leave and we'll probably wind up killing each other in Paris." He actually managed a smile "And believe me, for a beautiful woman like you, there's definitely better things to do in a city like Paris."

Those words made Ororo pause. Not until now had a white man ever described her as beautiful, her anger subsided only gently, although suspicions regarding Howlett's motives were there. She still kept her gaze on him as she asked "Alright then, what do you have to say? And make it quick."

There was a pause before the reply came. Ororo realised that Howlett wasn't a man much for talking and had really gone out of his way for this. She allowed herself to listen to what he had to say when he spoke up "I know you don't like the British and really, I don't blame you. I've been to Africa plenty of times and I haven't been impressed at all and what you said about being blackmailed, that don't surprise me either. But you should know that I'm not the guy who's behind it all. I just do what I do. And I'm damn good at it."

A huff from Ororo was the initial answer, her scepticism at these words showing through "And if that's true, why bother working for them?"

Howlett shrugged in response "Because I don't have anything else. I got drafted in when I had nothing else going for me, still don't. At least you've got a home to go to; I've got nothing 'sides from a few people I've met over the years though they're not what you'd call a family, or even friends. I just do what I do."

Although she knew very little about Howlett, Ororo felt that his words were honest although maybe still hiding something. Some pains were too hard to share with people; maybe Howlett was doing just that. A sigh issued from Ororo's lips "And you're telling me this why? You hardly seem to be the sort to open up Howlett."

"Well like I said, the sooner you realise I ain't a bad guy in this, the better. I've worked with people before, not always by choice and I know the fewer secrets you have to deal with, the easier it is."

Ororo finally gave a nod "Very well, as long as we understand that this is business. I have no wish to have anything other than a cordial relationship with you at best Howlett."

A nod was the reply along with a slight smirk "Couldn't ask for anything better. So long as you don't use whatever you have to…" Howlett tailed off, suddenly realising something "What can you do anyway?"

For the first time since he'd seen her, Ororo actually smiled "Let's put it this way, have you noticed that it hasn't rained in London since I haven't arrived?" Howlett's face was blank for a moment before he suddenly realised what Ororo meant and actually looked impressed by it "And what can I expect from you Howlett?" She asked.

In response, Howlett held out his hand and tensed it for a moment, grimacing in pain before three spiked bones shot out from in between his knuckles, sending a small shower of blood across the back of his hand as the skin split open. Ororo looked on, dumbfounded at the protrusions. The bones were just less than seven inches in length and had the width and look of knife blades, almost as sharp they appeared. With the appearance of them, one question sprung to Ororo's mind "Doesn't that hurt to have them come out of your body like that?"

"Every damn time." Howlett admitted as he looked down on the bones "And if I didn't have this ability to heal, I'd probably die of blood loss too." Ororo noted the truth in those words as she saw the openings that the bones had come from were healed, no bleeding to be seen, there was truly more to Howlett than met the eye…

The bones went back into Howlett's wrists with the skin enveloping the slits where they had popped out from, the healing once more taking affect on his hands. Howlett overlooked the brief pain and grinned at Ororo "Of course, it's come in handy more than once, it will do again."

Ororo nodded silently at these revelations and saw why Howlett was given a wide berth by his superiors; the man was a highly valuable asset to Britain. She still saw him as a part of the problem facing her people however and for that, she was determined to keep their relationship at a distance "I thank you for sharing this with me Mr. Howlett." She began "But we do have a long journey tomorrow and I think it best if we get as much rest as we can, don't you?"

The rebuff was hardly unexpected but Howlett still frowned when she said it "Fair enough." He muttered, turning around to the door "Just so you know Princess, if we're going to be working together, I'm going to have to know that I can trust you when our backs are at the wall. So just drop the attitude and do what you're here for." With that, Howlett closed the door behind him with a bang, leaving Ororo to glower where the man had just been, her attitude towards him freezing by the minute.

Several Miles West of Narew, Congress of Poland:

The ground being tilled by Max Eisenhardt was hard and difficult, the last few months being unusually dry and difficult for the local farmers. If something did not happen soon, another hard harvest was on the horizon and Eisenhardt was not looking forward to that possibility. He stopped pushing the plough for a moment and took a deep breath. He needed a good rest but knew it was impossible, with only him to work on this farm; he had no other options but to work as hard as he could in order to buy enough food and fuel to get through winter. It would be a hard task, even if he had no other distractions…

"_Hey! Jew!" _**(8) **Came a shout from behind Eisenhardt, causing him to sigh in exasperation and turn around. To no surprise at all, two Russian soldiers sat on horseback, looking down on Eisenhardt from there height. One pointed directly down in front of his horse and shouted _"Get over here Jew! We have something to tell you!"_

Taking as much time as he could to maximise any insult possible, Eisenhardt stood away from his plough and sauntered over to the soldiers, looking like he had no care in the World _"And what would Russia's finest want with a lowly Jew? I have neither food for you to steal nor women for you to rape. Unless I am speaking to a pair of sodomite Russians which I wouldn't be surprised, considering those whores you call your wo-" _The insult was cut short with a gun shot hitting the space directly in front of Eisenhardt's feet. He managed to keep himself from jumping back and returned the glare the soldiers were giving him with a cool look.

"_Watch your mouth you stinking Jew or the next bullet will be between your eyes!" _The soldier with the gun snarled, leaving no room for ideas that he was bluffing. His partner grabbed his hand and shook his head. There were to be no murders, not now at any rate.

The calmer soldier turned to Eisenhardt and gave the words _"We were just passing by to tell you that you and all the other Jews around here can expect a true Tsar's… celebration of your people within the next few days. Let the others of your kind know, won't you?"_ Spitting on the ground in front of Eisenhardt's feet, the soldier twisted his horse around and trotted away with his compatriot in tow who gave Eisenhardt one last black look before following his comrade in moving away from the farmer.

As they left, Eisenhardt felt a chill run down his spine, knowing what the two soldiers meant by their words. A Pogrom was about to take place. Eisenhardt had heard all about them, Jews all over the Empire were targeted, either by the Army or the Okhrana **(9) **and attacked brutally, usually with many Jews dying in the process. **(10) **The small village Eisenhardt was in seemed to be another target of this and he knew there was little he could do about it. He would warn the others of course but it would only be a matter of slightly limiting the damage. He knew that this would be a bloody event and the helplessness was the worst part…

To be continued…

**1: William Melville was one of the architects of modern British Intelligence Services, had a long distinguished career even before founding the Secret Service Bureau in 1906. In this Timeline, the rise of Adapts has furthered his career somewhat.**

**2: Melville was from Ireland, not the most popular of places for a British Civil Servant to come from. I imagine years of working amongst the highest ranking English serviceman would have had an impact upon his brogue.**

**3: Koos de la Rey was a Military leader of the Boers during the Second Boer War (1899-1902). He had managed to maintain a good resistance against the British presence in South Africa before he and his forces were overwhelmed by Britain's Armies. In this Timeline however, the interference of our plucky protagonist has ended the Second Boer War quite prematurely.**

**4: Gregor Mendel was a Priest dubbed 'the father of genetics'. He did research with pea plants which revealed the laws behind inheriting biological traits. His work was woefully overlooked during his lifetime and was only rediscovered during the turn of the twentieth century.**

**5: Located at one of the hubs of London's railways systems, the Great Central Hotel was a luxury hotel opened in 1899. **

**6: Opium dens were a fairly common sight in Victorian London. Squalid, seedy and usually the front for criminal gangs such as the Triads, they were spread via the use of opium, ironically once a major export towards China from British merchants.**

**7: Translated from Mandarin.**

**8: Translated from Polish.**

**9: The Okhrana were the Tsarist Secret Police, forerunners of the KGB.**

**10: Pogroms had been a feature of the Russian Empire since the mid-nineteenth century with the spark being the assassination of Tsar Alexander II which was rumoured to be the fault of the Jews despite most of those involved in the conspiracy were Christians. They lasted for a good way into the twentieth century until eventually dying out after the Russian Civil War in the early twentieth century.**

**Here's the first chapter of this story. Inspired by/Ripped off from Marvel: 1602 and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, this'll focus on the early twentieth century with many Marvel characters popping up although the main plot will follow those from the X-Men group as they're the ones I'm most familiar with. Hope you enjoy and give us your thoughts about it.**


	2. The Gathering

Marvel: 1900

St. Boniface's Abbey; Bavaria; Germany: **(1)**

When it came down to it, Ororo had to admit, she had been expecting something a little grander from the Monastery. Although certainly large and hulking, she had in her mind a grand, castle like building. She had seen how these Christians had exalted their God with their buildings, making them reach the sky in some places. To find on that lacked the towers, spires and grand architecture of previous ones, she felt distinctly underwhelmed. She was brought back from her reverie with a nudge from Howlett "Ain't no use in gawking at the place, we've got a job to do." He said, stepping forward to the doors of the Monastery and knocking slow but hard.

After a few moments, the door opened and an elderly face looked through the gap. The man was clean shaven and bald, wearing an old robe which went down to his ankles with only the tips of his boots poking out. Looking at Howlett and Ororo, he finally managed to say "Are you the English come to see Brother Wagner?"

"You the Abbot?" Howlett asked, hoping that he was. If not, then word might have spread further than the British intended. To his relief, the man nodded with Howlett replying "We are. This is Ororo N'Dare. Is Wagner available to speak?"

The Abbot stood aside, gesturing for them to come in "He is, although he has remarked that he grows tired of the efforts by you people to recruit him for your own ends." The Abbot's English was slow, but precise as if it had come more from study than actual use. He shut the door behind them as they stepped in before quickly walking down the corridor, leading them to Wagner's room "You are the fifth group of English we've had and not the only nation who's approached him. And as I have said myself, when a man turns down an offer from his own Kaiser, why would he choose to go to another country?" **(2)**

"We may have a certain empathy with him that others have lacked." Ororo stated as they walked through the Monastery. The corridors were mostly empty with only an occasional Monk hurrying by, not bothering to look at the strangers as they went about their business. The three remained silent as they got closer to Wagner's rooms, the Abbot not being in the mood for conversation. It was Ororo who finally broke the silence by saying "So what is Wagner like, as a person?" She asked, the files she and Howlett had been given before leaving England had been insightful on Wagner's powers and past, but nothing on his personality.

"Brother Wagner is… An interesting individual." The Abbot replied "He has had a hard life, with such an appearance that is no surprise. But he retains some of his enthusiasm for life." The Abbot gave a small sigh as he went on "I've been hesitant in issuing his vows. **(3) **Although I know him to be sincere in his wish to join our order, I think he would not be able to remain to keep to them. His spirit is too adventurous, and he has the humour of a child at times. But I see we've arrived." Ororo and Howlett looked to the side to see a plain door, the same as most others in the Monastery. The Abbot spoke once more as the two stepped forward to knock "I shall remain out here, the World outside these walls has long ceased to hold any fascination for me. Whether or not Brother Wagner chooses to remain here or leave is up to him although I should not expect him to change his mind in this regard."

He stepped back, allowing Howlett and Ororo to step through although his faced remained lined with doubt. Shrugging that off, Howlett stepped forward and knocked on the door "Brother Wagner?" He called out "This is James Howlett of British intelligence, you gonna let us in or what?" Ororo spotted the Abbot rolling his eyes at the comment, noting that it wasn't the best of starts. Nevertheless, the door slowly cracked open and a hooded face was seen, almost obscured except for two pale yellow eyes which looked coolly at the visitors. The face disappeared from sight for a moment as the door was pulled open, a hand inviting the two in. Both Ororo and Howlett noted how misshapen it was as well as the fact he only had three digits on his hand, long, slender and covered in short blue fur.

Howlett and Ororo stepped in, not showing surprise on their faces although they still felt some imbalance at seeing Wager's appearance in the flesh. The photos and pamphlets detailing his appearance had been some preparation, but seeing it for real was still an unusual feeling. Wagner closed the door behind them, leaving all three feeling fairly cramped in the small room. Most of the space was occupied by a bed and a small desk with a stool beside it. There was a large hand written Bible perched upon the Desk with the pages left open, the crafted words showing the care and attention that went into them. Wagner sat down on the stool and started to speak. Unlike the Abbot, his English was more fluid and natural although he still had a pronounced accent "I know why you are here." He said with an exasperated tone "So tell me why you think I should join you and I shall tell you why I will n-"

Wagner's words were suddenly cut off when he finally looked at Ororo. He had not paid much attention before, believing his visitors would be the same well dressed men he had always had. To see a woman of her beauty and colour was incredibly surprising. Wagner lost his train of thought and he began to stammer before looking away, trying to regain some composure. Howlett suppressed a smirk as he recognised the fluster Kurt was feeling before cutting in "We know you've turned down all the offers so far, but we may be able to offer you something a little more."

This snapped Wagner back to reality and gave Howlett an old look "Money will not persuade me. I am waiting until I can give my vows and then I shall serve God, not man. I have no wish to involve myself with you or your Government. And you cannot give me one good reason why."

Both Howlett and Ororo shared a look before Howlett nodded Ororo to speak, knowing the she was the chink in Wagner's armour "It's difficult, isn't it?" She began, prompting a confused look by Wagner until she went on "To have something, so special, so unique, that only you have and to see people hate you, attack you just because of your ability. You want to speak to someone, anyone, but there's no one around, is there? Just you and that one thing which once seemed like a gift, but is now a curse."

Although his face was still largely hidden from the shadows of the hood, a look only increased by his dark complexion, Howlett could sense his doubt, the words having meaning to him. He attempted to rally himself however, determined to stay firm "You may have some point in that, but do you really know what I have felt? To be an outcast, attacked, despised, simply because of how I look? Can you honestly tell me that you have suffered similar to what I have?"

The smirk on Ororo's face was cynical and gave some indication to her next words "If you want to compare suffering based on appearance, do not try to compete with me Mr. Wagner. If you should ever go to my homeland, you will see it on a scale you could not dream of, entire tribes and nations are brutalised because, like you, they happen to look different from those in power. Do not think that you have a monopoly on suffering, I have seen as much as you, if not, worse." **(4)**

The short speech seemed to have some impact on Wagner as he finally gave Ororo a look into her eyes. With a sigh, he raised his hands to his hood and pulled it back, finally revealing his face completely. His face retained the same short blue fur that covered every inch of him with short, curled hair on his head. His ears were pointed and the eyes seemed even more piercing than before as they glowed, even in the light "Tell me, do any of your nation look like me? Like… a demon? They call me that, even here. Have you ever had such a slander cast upon you?"

The reaction of the two to this remained muted, having seen it before in the photos. Ororo secretly noted that even with the fur and glowing eyes, there seemed to remain a sense of dignity and, even handsomeness about the man once you got through his appearance. Howlett spoke up now, holding out his hand and clenching it, the three bones shooting out of the skin, causing Wager to jump in surprise. Howlett sniggered at his reaction and spoke "Not quite a demon but does animal count? I've been called that. Monster, freak, abomination, all them too. I'm guessing Ororo here ain't been free from it neither."

"It's true. For my abilities, I've been called witch, sorceress and similar." Ororo agreed "Even though I tried to help people, there were still those who hated me for my abilities. And I know you've had the same experience when you were with the Munich Circus. A small girl almost got trampled by the show horses and you rescued her only for the girl's father to turn on you and lead the crowd in attacking the 'demon'. I know such an experience myself."

"Same here." Howlett offered "Almost the same, back in Canada. Young girl had a run in with a bear, I got rid of it and then I got the bullet from her dad he originally wanted to go into the bear. Turns out my claws scared him more than the animal trying to maul his daughter." Howlett idly tapped the claws "So then, how about it? You get into a group that doesn't care what you look like, a nice fat pension from the state when retirement comes and you can use your abilities as much as you like. How's it sound?"

For a long while, Wagner paused in thought, the words having an effect on him as the two were offering something he had never really had before, friendship and empathy. There still remained a part of him which feared to go outside that which he knew was safe, going back to the one thing he could depend upon like no other "My place is here, doing the work of God. As a Monk, I shall be doing His bidding, not anyone else's."

"Now see, that's where you have a problem." Howlett said "First of all, you ain't a Monk. Least not yet anyway, you haven't taken your vows. Second of all, you really think the others will let you do 'God's Work'? The Abbot's alright with you but considering what at least some of them think, you'll probably be stuck in a back room somewhere writing down the Gospels for the umpteenth time. At least with us, you'll do some good."

To press home their advantage and get Wagner to finally agree, Ororo leant forward, getting quite close to Wagner as the young man took a deep breath. Howlett realised he had read the man right, a lifetime of being scorned and hated had really brought down his chances with women. For a beauty such as Ororo to get so close to him would be a new and disarming experience. Her words came to further hammer home the point "We were brought together to help defend the World from great dangers. By helping us and saving lives, could that not be also doing God's work?"

Adventure, helping people and faith in God, the three things which were most important to Wagner were being appealed to at this point. It didn't hurt matters that this was the closest he had ever been to a woman who hadn't been put off by his appearance. After a moment, Wagner finally nodded, giving his assent "Very well. I will do this, but the moment I am asked to do something that goes against my beliefs, I'm out. Is that clear?"

"As crystal." Said Howlett as he started to turn towards the door "We'll send in the Abbot so you can make your arrangements. We can leave within the hour and be back in England in three days if we hurry. That alright with you?"

"It'll have to be." Wagner said solemnly "I shall bid my farewells here and then join you at the entrance in one hour. It should not take me too long to finish here."

"You have our gratitude Mr. Wagner." Ororo said, flashing him a smile before she followed Howlett out of the room, leaving Wagner to deal with the Abbott as the man walked into the room past them, not expecting the answer he was about to receive. As he closed the door behind him, Howlett and Ororo started to make for the entrance, Howlett pulling out a battered cigar case as he did so, taking a cheap cigar from it and lighting up even as they walked through the Monastery, earning more than a few reproaching glances from the Monks they walked past.

As he took a drag from his cigar, Howlett turned and grinned at Ororo "You know, for someone who doesn't like Britain, you're good at working out their agenda."

A glare matched Howlett's words as Ororo frowned at her partner "I do this for my homeland Howlett." She snapped "If I want to avoid the bloodshed that would come from Britain collapsing, its security must be guaranteed. When the Kamba **(5) **are strong enough to stand against the oppression of Europe, my service with England ends."

Howlett blew out a smoke ring and shrugged at the speech "Fair enough. Like I said, least you've got a home to go to. Just remember that I ain't one of those who's taking apart your country. I'm just someone who wants what you want, a bit more peace around for me and some others to enjoy."

The two walked in silence for a little while before they reached the entrance, looking to step outside and enjoy the warm air before Wagner arrived when Ororo managed to say one last thing "Maybe… It would appear that our differences can be overlooked if we have similar aims." She looked at Howlett, unsmiling but her expression softer than it had been before "Maybe I have misjudged you, a disservice to both of us. Can we start over do you think?"

Another smoke ring came from Howlett before he answered, one of those odd smiles coming from him once more. More grin than a smile, more smirk than a grin, a strange mix "You got it Ororo. From a beauty like you, I'd be a damn fool to say no."

The compliment almost caused Ororo to mile before she stopped her lips short; simply trying to distract her mouth by asking "Is this how you talk to all women Howlett?"

"Nah, usually just redheads." Howlett admitted "But you seem to be one in a million Ororo." He paused for a moment, giving a slight thought to his words "In fact, we all are…"

Limehouse, London:

When it came to Limehouse and generally the east of London, there were three powers to deal with. The Triads ran the shadowy aspects of the section of the city, drugs and criminal acts being their main areas. The second group was the police and the British Government's main force in the area, combating the crime and trying to bring the Triads and their associates to heel. The third was Madame Yuriko, also known as the Lady of Death. She had risen from the very bottom, her parents Japanese immigrants who were killed by Triads for their disrespect to a Tong leader **(6)**. Yuriko was forced to go underground, with no other option than to sell her body on the streets to survive.

She was not content with remaining a common prostitute however. She got others like her under her wing, making a deal with the second faction of the police to aid her. In return for turning a blind eye to her activities, she would make sure the Triads would be weakened and their activities restricted to the east of London. What followed over the next three years was the bloodiest gang War in the streets of London in recent history. The Triads stabbed hard at this new competition but Madame Yuriko stabbed back harder, using her contacts with the police, fellow Japanese immigrants and the resources gained from her own chain of brothels, she hurt the Triads. Madame Yuriko's ruthlessness and brutality became widely known, often fighting in the streets alongside her gang members against the Triads and taking them apart.

After three years of fighting, the Triads were weakened but not defeated and the police finally were in a strong enough position to enforce a cease-fire between the two sides, forcing Yuriko to accept a large swath of territory in Eastern London but still allowing the Triads to survive and retain some of their old influence. Since the War had ended two years ago, Yuriko had set herself up as a counter against Triad influence, undermining their position as much as she could without bursting into another War. It was that reason now why she had allowed the young Li Huanxin before her. She had eyes and ears all over East London, the tale of the young girl blinding two Triads providing no end of amusement.

The two were currently in Madame Yuriko's private bedchamber, Yuriko herself dressed in the most beautiful kimono she had, only adding to Huanxin's discomfort. The young girl shifted uncomfortably in her filthy clothes, having slept in the streets of London these last few days before turning to Madame Yuriko in the final vestiges in her desperation, begging for her protection from the Triads. Yuriko suppressed a smile at the girl's fear, her enmity with the Triads encompassing her general hatred of the Chinese **(7)**. The bedchamber was large, full of the finest luxuries and fineries of a Japanese room with a small table at the centre of the room where Yuriko had taken her time in performing a tea ceremony, refusing to talk until she had completed it, letting the girl stir. When finally the tea was prepared and the two had drank a little, Yuriko finally decided to listen to the girl _"Now that we have partaken in some good tea, maybe you can tell me what you want child. I know about your problems with the Triads, although I am curious to think why you think I can help. I am, after all, a humble Geisha." _**(8)**

The look on Huanxin's face at hearing those words was truly priceless; the girl fearing her travels had been for naught. She managed to rally however and said in the most respectful tone she could muster _"Madame Yuriko, I have come to beg for your help. The Triads have tried to kill me and I am sure they will again. You are known for your wisdom and strength. Can you please show some mercy on me and protect me from them?" _Huanxin finished with a bow, hating to beg like this but having no choice. She was terrified out of her wits, not only of the Triads, but herself. The power she had displayed was completely beyond her reckoning and she was truly terrified of it.

Yuriko took a long sip of her tea, enjoying the heat and flavour rinse around in her mouth before answering _"You wish for me to protect you? A Japanese, protect a Gai-Jin?" _Huanxin flushed at the insult but kept her tongue still, managing to give Yuriko some measure of the girl's self restraint which finally made up her mind regarding whether or not to fulfil Huanxin's plea _"I shall grant your request child and you may choose among the two options available to you. The first is to become one of my… workers in my houses…"_

Huanxin's face visibly paled at that option, finally losing her control as she cried out _"No! I will not sink to that! Never!"_

Despite the outburst, Madame Yuriko managed to retain her cool look and sipped from her tea once more before answering _"Do not think yourself so high and mighty child. You forget the position I once held and the fact you come begging to me for my aid. Before I offer the second option, apologise or face your fate with the Triads."_

Her pride humbled, Huanxin bowed once again, forcing herself to apologise despite her wish to throttle the woman in front of her _"Forgive me Madame Yuriko. I am young and foolish. I have yet to reach my fourteenth year and the maturity that comes with becoming a refined woman such as yourself."_

An imperial nod was the reply, showing that Yuriko had accepted the apology as she said _"That was well said child. But no need to apologise for your age, in fact, a girl such as yourself would be quite an asset. Some of my customers prefer a… less mature sort." _At those words, Huanxin had to swallow down bile as the revulsion from that revelation had almost overcome her. She was resolved at that point that the first option was out of the question. Even if she had to face the Triads, she would not stoop to that level and sell her body. Not knowing of Huanxin's inner resolve, Yuriko went on _"The second option concerns those… abilities of yours. You blinded two men and have been seen starting fires in these cold nights. I know of those who would find such abilities useful. Alas, I cannot use you myself; already you are reckoned to be a sorceress and ill fortune and would be detrimental to my cause. But word has reached me regarding an interest held by the British Government into gathering people similar to you in your abilities. They would pay quite handsomely for someone like you."_

This development surprised Huanxin to no end. The Government wanted her? And there were others like her? It certainly seemed to beat the other option, at least, on the surface. Huanxin went for tact, not wanting to mess this up _"May I ask Madame Yuriko, why do they want me?"_

Yuriko waved her hand irritably, as if the question was an unnecessary one _"Most likely Military matters. A secret Army to fight their Wars against other barbarian nations no doubt. Why bother with such an obvious question. It is now up for you to decide child, the Triads, my work houses, or the British. What say you?"_

The decision was more or less an easy one. If she went to the Triads, she would die; she would rather go to the Triads than disgrace herself and if she went with the British, the possibility of escape away from London, from all this was too much for her to resist. With a bow of her head, she gave her assent _"Please contact the British, I shall go to them. I thank you Madame Yuriko."_

"_Of course you do." _Yuriko purred, lifting a small bell from her table and ringing it for a short period of time before setting it back down. Almost immediately, the door to the room opened and a servant girl walked in, stopping by the door as she awaited her orders _"Take Huanxin to have a bath." _She ordered _"And get her a new change of clothes, burn her old ones. We want her looking like a proper young lady when she meets the British. And also send out a messenger to the police; tell them we have a proposition for their Scotland Yard. And make sure they know it is I who's sending the message. Do you understand?"_

The girl bowed low in understanding and stood back up, motioning Huanxin to follow her. Knowing the interview was over; Huanxin rose from her seat and bowed in gratitude to Madame Yuriko who responded with a dismissive wave. Huanxin followed the servant as they left the room, grateful at her new chance of life and relieved that she had walked away without making an enemy in Madame Yuriko.

When the two had left and the door was shut, Yuriko set down her cup and considered her options. The British would of course pay for Huanxin's arrival into their hands handsomely but there was one other person needed to be considered. Despite her own great dislike of the Chinese, she had to come to rely on one of them in her battle against the Triads, a Chinese man of great wealth and influence who had wanted to eliminate the Triads for not bowing to his power. In financing Yuriko's battles, she had been forced to provide information on both the Triads and the British Government. With Huanxin in their hands, her contact needed to be told. Zhang Tong would be told if this development…

Several Miles West of Narew, Congress of Poland:

Tensions in the small village had risen with each passing day. Ever since Max Eisenhardt had spread the word of the Pogrom, most of the Jews had hidden in their homes, hoping to find some protection amongst themselves. Eisenhardt had been the only one to keep up his work on the fields, both out of his stubborn defiance and the need to make sure that he'd have something to eat come winter, providing he was still alive by then of course…

The ground was as dry as ever and Eisenhardt struck the ground harder with his shovel, trying to dig it up with each strike of the metal onto the ground. His mind was bubbling with resentment and fury, not only at the approaching Pogrom but his own inability to do anything. He could run, many people had done so or were in the process of starting to do so, thoughts of immigration to other countries having come to the fore with the Tsarist Government more than happy to open the door for them. Eisenhardt refused to think of that option however, whether out of a stubborn streak or his refusal to surrender even an inch of ground against those who struck at him, he wasn't sure.

The ground refused to budge even an inch under the spade striking at the soil, its lack of moisture preventing him from making any head way. In his outright frustration, he threw the shovel as far as he could, letting out a snarl of rage as he did so. He would not bow down to the Russians; he would defy them even until his last breath. Taking a moment to calm down, Eisenhardt looked back to where he had thrown his shovel, tutting in annoyance as he realised how far it had gone. He threw out his arm in frustration, as if trying to make the damned thing disappear outright. He almost willed it to be gone; it had done nothing for him so far, it could get out of his sight as far as he was concerned. But when the actual tool shot back six feet, sailing through the air before landing with a crack onto the ground, Eisenhardt almost fell back in shock.

For almost a minute Eisenhardt looked at the shovel, his mind reeling with what he had just seen. It must have been an illusion, mustn't it? His fevered mind had to be playing tricks on him somehow… Eisenhardt straightened himself up and raised his hand, he'd make sure whether or not that what had just happened was a trick or not as he started to will the shovel back towards him. When nothing at first happened, Eisenhardt strengthened his will, the shovel twitching before twisting around; the blade of it pointing towards him as it slowly dragged itself across the ground, stopping just before him.

Eisenhardt collapsed to his knees stopping the shovel, taking deep breaths as his body was overcome with exhaustion. He had felt himself drained of energy as the shovel had been dragged towards him. Breathing heavily, Eisenhardt considered what he had done and suddenly, his farming became somewhat pointless as he pondered the possibilities. The ability to move things with his mind, was this limited to farm tools, or something even greater? Could he turn the guns of the Russians on themselves or would he have to rely simply on his own tools?

Managing to gather some energy, Eisenhardt stood up and grabbed the shovel, heading towards the small house he called a home, his mind racing with what he planned to do. He would experiment with every item he could find to see what his power could do. He did not have much time, everything hinged on his strength of will and by the Torah, Eisenhardt had more than plenty of that…

To be continued…

**1: The following description doesn't really do the Monastery justice. It's largely from Ororo's own opinion and although the Monastery isn't as grand as a Cathedral, it's still good to see.**

**2: The Kaiser was the title given to the Emperor's of Germany. Derived from the title of Caesar, it was meant to invoke continuation from the Roman Empire. The Kaiser at this year was Wilhelm II.**

**3: The vows of the Benedictine Order (Which the Monastery belongs to) concern themselves with remaining in the Monastery and serving God through the Monk's position there. **

**4: European rule in Africa was not the most enlightened examples of Government. Admittedly the British Empire was among the better examples of the period, but that's akin to saying a bullet in the ribs is better than a knife in the throat.**

**5: The Kamba are an ethnic group located in Kenya. Since I've not come across a source which states Ororo's own ethnic background in realistic terms, I've set her down here to give this story a more realistic setting. And yes, I realise the irony of that last sentence.**

**6: A Tong was a group set up by Chinese immigrants in their own communities to help defend themselves from aggression from other groups. It was not uncommon for them to either become dominated by or overtaken by Triad interests.**

**7: Japanese and Chinese relations, never what you might call smooth, turned even worse during the late 19****th**** century when the industrialised Japan launched a series of campaigns to secure domination of Eastern Asia, often attacking China in the process. The ethnic tensions also rose, leaving a very damaging impact right through the twentieth century.**

**8: Translated from Mandarin.**

**Hmm, need to speed up the action on this, don't worry, much bloodshed to be had soon. Just read, enjoy and please pass on some feedback.**


	3. Prince Von Doom

Marvel: 1900

Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire, England:

Melville looked down at his watch, noting the time and giving a small murmur of annoyance. A punctual man, the thought of other people being late to an appointment he had set was one annoyance he could do without. He paced a little, back and forth in front of the fireplace, his three companions looking on, one looking more than a little intimidated by her surroundings while the largest of the three drummed his fingers on the arm rest of his chair, evidently bored out of his wits. The only one who wasn't distracted by anything out of his vision was Nathanial Essex who was devouring a book on genetics, making notes in a small notebook resting on his lap, oblivious to all else.

Finally, Melville gave one last noise of frustration and muttered "Honestly! You'd think that by giving them the correct time, they'd at least show up when asked!"

"Oh yes." The large man said sarcastically "It's not as if they've got anything more fun to do." He stretched his back and shook his head, his long blonde hair striking against the back of the chair "Besides, ain't as if Howlett's the most punctual of people." With that, he cracked his knuckles, the sound being loud enough in the silence to make the young girl in the chair beside him jump.

"Why is she so jumpy?" Melville asked as he started to take out a cigar case.

"She probably believes Mr. Creed here is going to grind her bones to bake his bread." Essex quipped, closing the book before looking up "I also imagine the fact that she's gone from orphan girl in East London to being in one of the finest castles in England in just under a week must be quite intimidating for the girl. Creed, you speak Chinese, try and set her mind at rest won't you?"

Sighing in exasperation, Creed leant over to Huanxin and spoke in clear Chinese _"My friend believes I want to eat you. This is untrue, you're far too scrawny. Eat lots of pork and then I'll be interested." _He then gave an evil smile as Huanxin turned pale and tried to shrink back into her chair, an action that went noticed by Essex.

"Am I right in thinking you've just earned yourself another level lower in Hell?" Essex asked as he saw Huanxin try to make the chair fold in around her as a form of protection.

"Ah, I'm only having fun with her." Creed said, leaning over to Huanxin and giving a more reassuring smile _"Do not worry. It's merely my humour. You'll get used to it… eventually." _Huanxin gave a weak smile as she decided that Creed's sense of humour didn't exactly suit her.

A knock at the door made all three look up along the study to where a soldier posted at the door opened it, letting the remaining three people of the group enter. Howlett and Ororo came in first, both looking around with Creed saying "Well, well… long time no see Jimmy." Howlett looked long and hard at Creed before smirking in recognition.

"Not long enough Creed. 'Ow've you been since… Hong Kong wasn't it?"

"There abouts. About a year and a half since then and it's been dull since… And who's your new friend?" Creed said, motioning to the person behind Ororo and Howlett, seeing Wagner dressed in a robe with the hood pulled back caused three curious looks from those who knew of Wagner and his appearance. Amongst the preparations though, no one had remembered to tell Huanxin about her new German companion.

"_YAOGUAI!! YAOGUAI!!" _**(1) **She called out, jabbing her finger at Wagner's direction in blind panic, fear etched on her face. Howlett rushed over to the girl, obscuring her view of Wagner as he tried to calm her down.

"What was that she called me?" Wagner said, his tone showing he had a clear idea of what she meant simply from her reaction to his appearance.

As Howlett made his best efforts to calm Huanxin down, Ororo joining him as the girl almost went into hysterics at the sight before her; Wagner raised his hood, obscuring his face in the shadow once more. He sighed sadly while also wondering why a child was in the room. When Huanxin had finally been calmed down, Howlett spoke to her in clear, quick Chinese _"This man is no Demon; he is different, like the rest of us. He means you no harm and could easily become your friend. So stop screaming and be silent!" _In shock, Huanxin did so, only turning slightly to look at Wagner who gave a nod of his head. She waved slowly at him, hardly believing her eyes at this turn of events. She turned back and breathed deeply, wondering just what was going on.

When he had seen that Huanxin had calmed down a little, Howlett turned to Melville, his face full of thunder "And why is there a child here Melville? Something you forgot to tell us?"

"We didn't have time Howlett." The serviceman said defensively "We only just found out about her when you were on your way back from Germany. She only just arrived here this morning for Heaven's sake. She's here because she has abilities which we believe could help you in your missions. Now sit down please, you're late enough as it is. Howlett, take a seat by the girl, her name is Huanxin Li and she's from Limehouse. I'll give you a more extensive briefing later but just sit down." The three complied with his order, the six sitting around the fireplace, facing towards Melville in a semi-circle pattern. With the group finally seated and Howlett beside Huanxin ready to translate, Melville began "Now that we're all here, we can now start. But first of all, why were you late?" He asked, directing the question at the three who had just arrived.

"We had difficulty getting out of London." Ororo said "Quite a number of people believed we were in fact a circus entourage. We missed our train when they demanded Wagner perform magic tricks." She gave the young man a glare "And he did not help matters when he agreed."

Wagner shifted uncomfortably in his seat at that "I thought it would be best to keep our cover." He muttered defensively "And they did enjoy my act, I learned it from a magician in the Munich Circus. He himself…"

"Mr. Wagner." Melville said in an exasperated tone "I should like to remind you that you are a part of a Para-Military group, not a children's entertainer. Could you please keep that in mind?" His tone and rebuke were severe enough that Wagner nodded his assent, sitting back in his chair and keeping quiet. With that order of business out of the way, he then went over to the fire place and picked up a thick file that had been held on the mantle "Now that we are all here, I expect you're wondering why it is you've been gathered."

"You mean it wasn't for our good looks?" Creed asked sardonically, giving Ororo a slight leer as he did so which was cut off by a magnificent glare from the woman that made Creed look back at Melville.

"Certainly not in your case Mr. Creed." Melville answered back "No, each of you has been brought here because you all have abilities to help Britain in this rapidly changing World and the threats that come with it. Two of you already have experience with espionage and that'll come in handy. You are to form the core of a team designed to enter operations against the enemies of Britain and Global stability. Any questions?"

It was unsurprisingly Creed who spoke up "Yeah, what's he doing here?" He asked, jerking a thumb towards Essex "He looks more like a clerk than someone we can use."

"That would be scientist, not clerk." Essex answered coolly "I have been brought here because of my knowledge in genetics and evolution. You five are what I believe is the next stage in Human Evolution, you are Adapts. It is my position in this group to study your abilities and research into why it has happened this way. I shall not be accompanying you in your missions but I shall also be your bridge between the Scientific communities and to a lesser extent, Parliament." A slow murmur was heard as Howlett translated this for Huanxin who remained somewhat mystified, having had little experience of life outside Limehouse, the concept of evolution was new to her. She nodded along, trying her best to understand the situation but making notes to ask a lot of questions later on…

With that reason given, Wagner asked a question he had wondered about "But why us? There are other Adapts are there not? What made you choose us?"

"Because you were the ones available who were deemed to be the most useful." Answered Melville in a matter of fact tone "We need those whose abilities lean towards getting the job done with minimal fuss with possible maximum damage. You teleportation powers Mr. Wagner, Miss N'Dare's ability to control the weather and Miss Huanxin's own offensive capabilities lend to this. You are among those who are the best possibilities for this group."

As Howlett finished translating this for Huanxin, one single question came to his mind. It was the most obvious question really "Alright then Melville, who's the target?"

Realising it would be best to skip to the point, Melville reached into the file and took out three photographs, handing them out. The three photos were all of one man, handsome, dressed in the Army uniform of the Austro Hungarian Empire **(2) **and to all intents and purposes, looking like the best the nobility had to offer in dignity, looks and refinement "This is Prince Otto von Doom." Melville said "Also the Duke of Latveria and sixth in line to the throne of Austro-Hungary." Melville allowed himself a cynical smirk "Ten years ago, he was twenty-second."

"A social climber then." Howlett muttered as he looked at the photos, taking note of the man's strong physique, obviously someone who didn't rely too heavily on bodyguards…

"Surely this is some sort of joke." Wagner said in shock "Prince von Doom is a good Catholic man; he received a commendation from the Pope himself for his charity. Why on Earth do you believe he is a threat?"

With a sad sigh, Melville pulled out several more photographs from his file before passing them to Howlett and Creed "This is… was the village of Wunder, located in a secluded spot in the Duchy of Latveria. What you see here is the remains of the village after Doom tested out some of his new weaponry on it. The population was once three hundred and fifty-seven people, now however, there are no survivors. You'll see from the photos the effects that his gas weaponry had on people, a development on sulphur mustard used to great affect. The bullet marks on the victims you'll also notice, from an entirely new design of gun. From what we can see, it's a 7.62 mm automatic rifle, **(3) **completely beyond our weaponry although we're planning to get our hands on a few examples."

Melville paused as he watched the reactions to the group seeing the photos. Howlett and Creed remained neutral in their expressions although Howlett paled slightly, keeping the curious Huanxin from looking at the photos. Ororo shuddered upon seeing them while Wagner was visibly shaken, looking positively nauseous upon looking at them. The German placed the photo down, his eyes closed as he made a silent prayer for the souls of the people dead.

"We believe that he plans to seize the Imperial Throne of Austro-Hungary by wiping out the remaining contenders to the claim at a Ball on the last day of the social season **(4) **upon which, he'll use his technology to turn on all of Europe in order to gain power. You will be sent in order to make sure that never happens." Silence reigned after Melville's words, only the low murmur of Howlett's translation being heard.

Finally, Creed cracked his knuckles, breaking the silence and saying "So, why us? Ain't gotta be too hard taking care of one man right? Even if he's a Prince, a simple slip of something into his drinking water can be arranged."

"We've tried." Melville admitted morosely "Five times we've tried. And that's not counting the attempts by the French and the Russians. Even the Ottoman Empire tried to be rid of him and failed. He's too smart and able for our regular agents, that's why we need you. We'll provide the plans, you do the deed. Are you all in accord?"

"She sure as Hell ain't." Howlett said, motioning his head towards Huanxin "What makes you think a child's gonna be any good? Or why a girl like her is here anyway." His protest met with agreement from Ororo and Wagner, their own sympathies agreeing with his.

"Oh, she'll be good." Essex said, entering the conversation once more "According to my own calculations, from what she told us regarding her power, she could bring down an entire building given enough control." Everyone turned to look at Huanxin, making the young girl blush at the sudden attention "You could say she's our last resort." Essex went on "If everything else fails, she blows it up."

"How wonderfully considerate of you." Ororo said darkly "I do wonder how the British managed to enslave and conquer the World with such a heart-warming attitude."

Ororo received a glare from Melville for her trouble before going on "For the next two months, you will be training here in order to strengthen and gain control over your powers while learning to work together. Upon completion of your mission, you shall all be paid handsomely. Any questions before you're shown to your rooms?"

At first, no one spoke, each one with their own thoughts playing through their minds. It was Wagner who finally spoke up, his voice quiet, but determined "What this man has done… what he plans to do… is an abomination. I am ready to help you," He brought his face up, his expression set "But even after seeing this… I will not kill him. I will get you as close as possible but even if Europe's fate is the cost, I… I could not bring myself to do it."

"Good for you telling us now." Howlett said "Lets us know how far we can count on you. We done Melville?"

The man nodded, finally ending the meeting. One by one, the six stood up with Huanxin standing beside Howlett, finding some measure of comfort from him for the moment. The group left in silence, each contemplating the mission they had received. It wasn't one which pleased them, but from what they had seen and heard, it was sadly necessary.

London, England:

The meeting was a fairly closed one. Only three men were a party to it, Robert Cecil **(5)**, Neville Chamberlain **(6) **and the young Minister Brian Braddock. All three men were currently in the Prime Minister's private office at Downing Street. It was between those three only as the subject of their conversation was meant to be of the upmost secret. Cecil's desk was covered with a large amount of photographs, written files and other information from throughout investigations made by British Intelligence.

Picking up one file, Cecil sighed as he read the details on it, the information being the powers of one particular Adapt from the US, a young girl with some sort of connection with squirrels. Ridiculous sounding but even potentially dangerous if used in the right way… The Prime Minister looked at his two companions and said "So then gentlemen, our experiment has begun and this time, Doom might be finally gotten rid of. The question is what about the Adapts themselves? They've been growing these last five years, either we reveal them or it soon spreads with all the panic it entails."

"Waiting would be the best course Minister." Chamberlain offered "See how this group does against Prince Doom and if they succeed, coming out with a pro-Adapt agenda would be wise."

"And if they fail?"

"Remain neutral. If they fail, Doom will come after us hard. He'll stir up trouble in Ireland; use our own Adapts against us, anything he can think of. If the group fails, we build our defences and prepare for War. If we do anything to rock the boat, Doom will come upon us like the wrath of God." Chamberlain's solemn tone did nothing to ease Cecil's mind. The Prime Minister had served his country as a Minister for many a year and the rise of the Adapts had been a challenge he had not foreseen.

He then turned to Braddock, a rising star in the Conservative Party and one with… personal experience in this area "Regardless of the results, we will be planning to create a Ministry to deal with Adapt affairs and I want you to head it Braddock. Your experience in this matter should be a benefit to the Ministry."

"I shall do my best sir." Braddock answered sincerely "Although it is my personal belief that we should have gotten the Austrians to sort this one out. We have enough with protecting ourselves."

"The Austrians would have done nothing." Chamberlain said forcefully "Latveria's the most powerful region in the Empire and Doom has ingrained himself too well into the Government. Even with the evidence, he'd be able to retreat into his castle and build up his strength further. Trust me young Braddock, this is the best way."

"If you say so sir." Braddock said, remaining unconvinced. As far as he was concerned, Britain's problems should start and end on its own territory and the territory of the Empire. If trouble was on the horizon, deal with it when it became a problem for Britain, not when one of the other powers could sort it out themselves "And what can I expected to do as Minister for Adapt Affairs sir?" He asked Cecil.

"We have Berkeley Castle to use as a ground for training purposes for our Military groups but quite frankly, that won't be enough. You'll be in charge of securing several other schools throughout the country to teach these Adapts how to control their powers, and which ones will be useful to us. It'll start small at first, we've calculated that there's just over three thousand nation wide this year but this will expand soon if the boffins are right in saying that they are the next stage in evolution."

Braddock nodded respectfully at that "And anything else sir?"

The Prime Minister and Field Marshall shared a glance, the last bit of news they had being one that neither had decided to share lightly. It was the elderly Chamberlain who started "Tell me Braddock, what do you know of Captain England?"

An expression of bafflement crossed Braddock's face before answering, being confused at such a question "It's an honorary title largely sir, started by King Edward III during his Wars with France. He generally chose one of his Knights to go out dressed in the colours of England itself as a rallying point to his soldiers. It's been used in every major War since then I believe, the title going to a soldier who was used for propaganda purposes for his exploits. It's been abandoned though hasn't it?"

"Since the last Captain died at Vitoria." **(7)** Chamberlain confirmed "Since then, we've had no reason to put someone into the title but now… Now, the country will need a rallying point Braddock, a symbol they can get behind in the years to come. You've read the stories, how the Captain was always the figure everyone could get behind, that everyone could believe in. This Adapt situation will require a new Captain England and you Braddock…" Chamberlain paused as he took a breath before he went on "You will be the one to find them amongst the Adapts. Pick out the strongest, the best and we will put them under the colours to serve as our symbol and the nation's defender. Do you understand?"

Despite the moment of crushing disappointment Braddock had felt for one moment, he agreed "I shall do that sir. A worthy candidate shall be found for the new Captain, on that you have my word."

"Very good." Melville said, obviously pleased "Now this meeting is finished with gentlemen and I expect that we shall do our duty. Nothing else is warranted."

Several Miles West of Narew, Congress of Poland:

It had taken three days of tireless effort, three days of no sleep, barely any food or water and relying on little else but his indomitable will but finally, Eisenhardt had discovered the key to his abilities. He could not control wood, earth or anything else except for the base metal he saw in his tools. He had spent three days experimenting with many materials and trying to fully access his powers with the fruits of his labour finally paying off. All the metal in his small dwelling had all been manipulated on some level at least once. At first, it had taken Eisenhardt several minutes of concentration before he could get one item from the end of his table to the other, but now he could sail any of them right into his hand with barely a moment's notice.

The sheer victory of his accomplishment had made Eisenhardt giddy before exhaustion began to settle in. His bed, although often uncomfortable, now looked more inviting than ever and he began to head towards it, his mind flittering with possibilities. Let the Russians come with their guns and mobs. If they had one trace of metal upon them, he would decimate their ranks and wipe them all out. Eisenhardt grinned as his head lay down on the bed. A new dawn was coming for those who had been oppressed, he could feel it. And he would be the man to guide this thought, this… Revolution…

To be continued…

**1: A Chinese term meaning 'Demon'.**

**2: The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a state located in south-west Europe. A huge land Empire ruled over by the Hapsburgs Royal Family. Was one of the more autocratic states in Europe at the time and eventually collapsed due to the pressures of World War One.**

**3: Basically the same as the original AK-47 design being used here, an example of just how advanced Doom is.**

**4: ****The Social Season was usually the period of the year when celebrations at court were held. It generally ended on the 12th August, in time for the shooting season.**

**5: Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Conservative party member and first British Prime Minister of the twentieth Century, serving for thirteen years in the office in the late Victorian period.**

**6: Neville Bowles Chamberlain, a British soldier who served in the campaigns Britain fought throughout the mid-nineteenth century in India and Afghanistan, rising to the rank of Field Marshall before he died.**

**7: The Battle of Vitoria was the final major battle in the Peninsular War during the Napoleonic period. Fought by the British, Spanish and Portuguese on one side and the French Imperial Army on the other, it was a great victory for the Allied forces as led by Sir Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington.**

**Here we go for another chapter and knowing who the first villain will be. Nothing too surprising really, you've gotta have Doom after all, if no one else. Hope you enjoyed and let me know what you think.**


	4. Early Days

Marvel: 1900

Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire, England:

For a loner such as Howlett, working in a group was a strange experience indeed. He had gotten used to working by himself for the most part. No partners, no friends, nothing beside his own company in his missions. The group he was with now however was far beyond what he had ever thought about regarding a true team. There were two British (Well, Canadian) intelligence agents, a German Catholic who looked like a Demon, a Kenyan woman with a major grudge against Britain and a thirteen year old girl whose only language was Chinese sprinkled with few English words.

This training exercise was something entirely new for all concerned as well. In the field's just outside the Castle, a small series of buildings had been erected, each one linked to each other. They were constructed in such a way to mimic the layout for Prince Doom's castle on various levels, an exercise to get them used to how it felt. They had spent an entire week running through various plans of assault on Doom's castle, each one tailored to their abilities in attacking. One plan was eventually decided upon due to its function on stealth and speed as well as packing the most punch. The plan was simple enough, reach Doom's castle under the cover of the fog Ororo could provide, use Wagner's teleportation abilities to get through the walls and then get through the Castle itself with as little noise as possible before Creed and Howlett performed the assassination. Huanxin would remain in the background, acting only as a last resort if all else failed.

The training exercise they were going through was the first run through they were having of the procedure and so far, so good. Ororo had shown her abilities by blanketing the area with a thick fog while Kurt's teleportation skills had worked out fine, despite the initial scepticism regarding going through matter. That had been the one part of the plan that had needed several prior rehearsals to get used to. The experience of actually being transported by Kurt's method had caused more than one bout of nausea before coming up before the experience of being transported through space itself in the blink of an eye was gotten used too. It was the general consensus that, although no offence to Wagner, the traditional method of walking was preferred.

The group was currently going through a corridor, built to the specifications of Doom's castle, looking exactly like it. Although made from cheap materials, it was built to last and provide a clear indication of what the group would be facing in their mission. The need for secrecy of the mission had severely curtailed the amount of people available to the unit and so, those acting as guards were non-existent, stationary mannequins taking their place. They were to be dispatched as quickly as possible during the actual attack; none were to survive lest they raised the alarm. Howlett and Creed provided the actual straight forward attacks, striking at the dummies and dispatching them with ease while the others followed, Ororo providing rear cover against any possible attacks. She shifted uncomfortably in her outfit, similar to the new khaki uniform worn by the British Army only dyed black to aid with stealth. **(1) **Such confining clothes felt unnatural and uncomfortable although she had to admit that the team found the uniforms practical for their movement and at least they'd been tailored to fit properly.

The group moved silently and quickly, heading into the direction where Doom's bedroom was located in the training area, making quick progress as they reached the double doors leading to the mock room. It was quick and fast, only a small grey squirrel scurrying past their path providing any entertainment although spoiling the idea of an exercise for killing somewhat. As designated leader of the group, Howlett quickly looked at Wagner and pointed at him, them himself and finally at the doors. Nodding in understanding, Wagner grabbed onto Howlett and the two transported into the room, a smell of brimstone following them. Howlett was unsure as to how Wagner could go through solid matter; all the German had to know was that there would be an empty space wherever he arrived in case he wound up with his leg inserted into a table.

With their arrival into the mock bedroom, Howlett took a second to steady himself before seeing the bed set up in the middle of the room, a lump that was meant to designate where Doom slept. Howlett brought out his claw-like bones and went over to the bed, giving the lump and unceremonious stab right in its centre before going back to Wagner who went to teleport them out of them room. From that point on, it was a matter of simply getting back to the starting point. They rejoined with the group and started to head back without incident until they came across one of the mannequin dummies that Creed had dispatched. It had been slashed across the back viscously with deep gouges left by Creed's claws that looked like a wild animal. The group walked past it without comment until Huanxin passed by and for one second, looked down.

The sight of the mannequin lying their on the ground brought Huanxin to a shuddering halt. Memories flashed across her mind, memories she had tried to keep bottled up for two weeks came flooding back to her as the images of her parents dying under the Triad attack struck hard in her mind. She let out a moan of horror as everything came back and she started to back away from the mannequin, her mind striking her with images of the corpses of her parents. The others looked over to Huanxin and looked at her with worry, Creed approaching her and saying _"Don't be like that, it's only a mannequin, not a real person." _**(2)**

Huanxin frantically shook her head as she began to sob, unable to even hear Creed's words as she muttered _"M-My mother… dead… T-They're gone…" _She leaned back on the wall of the mock corridor, her crying becoming heavier as the others started to gather around her in concern.

"Alright," Howlett muttered "I was willing to overlook that the girl couldn't even speak English yet, but this? Jesus, I thought Melville at least had some brains." He crouched down and put a hand on Huanxin's shoulder to comfort her although the girl didn't seem to notice.

"What is wrong with her?" Wagner asked as he tried to keep his distance a little. Although Huanxin had got used to his appearance somewhat, he was afraid to get close to her right now lest he make things worse. Unable to understand Mandarin, he was at a loss as to what had caused Huanxin's breakdown.

"It's her parents." Creed answered "They got murdered and it looks as if she ain't even started getting over it." Creed looked over to Howlett, noticing that he seemed unsure of what to do and stepped in "I'll take her to her room, calm her down there. You can tell Melville what happened when you get back and see if you can get Huanxin off this damn team." Creed leant down and started to help Huanxin to her feet, half guiding her as they left the compound and headed back to the castle to take Huanxin to her room.

As they left, Howlett pulled out a cigar and lit it up as Wagner muttered "I never would have thought Creed could be so… nice to a child."

A snort issued from Howlett's lips as he nodded somewhat "Creed? He wasn't always like that, believe me. He was one of the most viscous people you could ever meet a few years ago. Then, something happened, I don't know what. I think a girl was involved, a young one and he realised that he wasn't as bad as he thought." Howlett took a puff of his cigar before turning around "Come on, let's go tell Melville what happened. And maybe get Huanxin off this team."

"I sincerely doubt that will happen." Ororo stated firmly and with regret "You heard Essex, she's too useful and our last chance should all else fail. If anything, the only comfort Huanxin will receive is from us."

A nod from Wagner showed his agreement on this "And that is something we haven't given. We haven't even spoken to each other aside from this… business. We are used to solitude but Huanxin is not. Maybe we can provide some companionship for her." A tone in Wagner's voice showed some hope for this. He had had few friends in his life, the prospect of something even resembling a family was a dream come true indeed.

The prospect of a family was largely an alien concept to the three and on that they lacked experience with. Nevertheless, it had some aspects which appealed to the group on some level, although it was Howlett who provided the voice of scepticism as ever "We'll see if there ain't a better option for her first, let's just go tell Melville what happened before anything else." The three walked back to the Castle, knowing Melville wouldn't be too happy about these turn of events.

As Howlett, Ororo and Wagner made their way back to the Castle, Creed and Huanxin walked along their own path to the castle, mainly in silence before finally reaching the girl's bedroom. Huanxin's eyes were still red from her tears she had shed and her face was turned away from him in embarrassment, unable to face him after her collapse. She opened her door quietly and made to shut it behind her before Creed spoke up _"Hiding away won't do anything you know. If you don't try to face what you've been through, this will just happen over and over again."_

Huanxin stopped in her tracks at those words before she said in a tone laced with pain _"And what would you know about it? My parents were killed right in front of me! And then I find out I'm a… a… this! What am I supposed to do? I can't do this anymore… I… I can't." _The tears that Huanxin had fought so long to suppress once more came to the surface, her body starting to shudder from the sobs.

For a brief moment, Creed was reminded of several years ago when he had met a girl the same age as Huanxin and shared much similar pain. Creed had failed in his attempts to help that girl and he promised that he would not make the same mistake again. Creed walked over to Huanxin and placed a hand on her shoulder and kneeled down so that he could face Huanxin in the eye. Or, at least he didn't have to look directly down at her _"You can do this Huanxin. You've had the strength to get to this point, don't give in now. The fate of the entire World depends on us right now, we can help you get through this Huanxin, but you need to find the strength to help yourself above all."_

Silence greeted Creed's words at first, Huanxin remaining quiet until she spoke up _"If I can control these powers, will you help me?"_

"_We all will Huanxin. You can be sure of that." _Was the instant reply as Creed noticed just how exhausted Huanxin looked, her eyes were dark and face drawn. She looked as if roper sleep had eluded her for quite some time.

Upon hearing Creed's promise, Huanxin nodded before drooping slightly forward, the exhaustion she had shown now catching up with her _"I feel so tired…" _She mumbled _"Can you stay with me until I fall asleep. I don't want to be alone anymore…"_

Helping her over to her bed, Creed sat beside it as Huanxin curled up on the mattress and slid off into sleep. She didn't even bother to take off any of her uniform and started to talk about her parents before she drifted off, the memory of how her mother would sing Mama Hao **(3)** to her when she was younger suddenly coming back to the girl. She fell gradually to sleep with Creed watching in silence. When he was sure she would not stir, he rose from his seat and quietly exited the room. He shut the door behind him and breathed out a sigh of relief which almost became a shout of surprise when he heard an all too familiar voice say "You better be careful, she'll be calling you daddy next."

Creed twisted around and saw Howlett standing in front of him, a smirk on his face as he lit up a cigar "Never thought I'd see you being like this Creed. What happened? Something happen on the way to Damascus or is it just the time of the year when you decide to be nice?"

For a moment, Creed wasn't sure whether or not Howlett was joking with him. When he realised the smaller man was being serious, he shook his head "Howlett… Have you ever reached a point when you think there's no point lower you can sink to, only for something to come out and prove you wrong? And that despite everything you've done, all the blood on your hands, it turns out that that was nothing compared to what others can and will do?"

Howlett blew out a puff of smoke before answering "This about that kid in the Bahamas? There were rumours about that. Something about a mob as well."

Creed slowly nodded at that "About three years ago, I was sent to the Bahamas, there was another Adapt there and the brass wanted to know about her. She was only young, barely older than Huanxin, kinda like Wagner though in some ways, could teleport but without that damn stench. She stood out too, purple skin that you could see a mile off. She wasn't popular, one look at her and most others got scared, really scared. When it got found out she was talking to me, everything went up in smoke. There was a mob and when I finally got to her… it was too late." Creed breathed out "I thought I'd done some bad things in my life Howlett. But what they did… It made me realise that even I've got limits."

As if he'd revealed too much, Creed straightened himself up and shot Howlett a look "Not that you'd tell anyone of course."

"Just between you and me it is then." Howlett said grinning "Also, we spoke to Melville, Huanxin's still in the team so you know. She ain't got anywhere else to go and as far he's concerned, she's our ace in the hole."

Throwing up his hands in exasperation, Creed let out a sigh of frustration "Right, and when she dies, it'll be put under acceptable losses I expect. Bastards the lot of them." He looked back to Howlett "Anyway, the least we're going to is teach her how to speak English. It's damn ridiculous that she can't even talk to some of us"

"Got that right." Howlett agreed "And something else you should know, Melville's got some orders coming in from America to help us train and actually make those exercises something other than useless. Some sort of automatic weapon in the shape of a person. They're called 'Men of Iron' or something…"

A scoff came from Creed as he heard that "And what are these men going to do in England? Rust?" He looked back to Huanxin's bedroom and hearing no noise, motioned to the opposite end of the corridor "Want to go grab something to drink? She won't be up for a while yet."

"Sounds good to me." Howlett said, starting to walk forward past him "I know where they keep the scotch in this place. Apparently the Army have started to fill it up with booze ever since we got here."

A grin spread across Creed's face upon hearing that "Rule Britannia…" He muttered as they walked towards where Howlett knew the drinks were kept, both looking forward to taking a sizeable chunk out of the supply.

White House, Washington DC, USA:

William McKinley was a tired man. He had been through a lot in his Presidency and this was only another issue he had to deal with. In his office with him stood three key members of his own inner circle, the Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, the new head of the American Intelligence Service **(4) **Nicholas Fury and the greatest industrialist in America, Norman Osborn. Out of the four men in the room, only McKinley was the common link, the others hating each other.

"So then," McKinley started "You're all aware of the rising situation with these… Adapts as the Brits are calling them?"

"We're getting rising reports throughout the States Mr. President." Fury said "A lot from New England, some from the Western States." Fury pointed down to one of the many pieces of paper on the table "A report from Alaska, one kid that shoots something like fire from his eyes. We've got people hunting him now and he's not the only one." He the highlighted another paper with a picture of a beautiful young woman on it "Another one, this time from Mississippi. She drains anyone who touches her of their energy. She once kissed a boy and he'd dead because of it. We're getting reports from all over the states Mr. President. Sooner or later, we'll have to act."

"What Mr. Fury is implying is that these people are a threat." Came the voice of Roosevelt "But I have yet to see any reason behind this line of thinking." Ignoring the glare Fury's one good eye was giving him; Roosevelt went on "Despite their abilities, or curses as those two examples may put it, these are still Americans. We should not turn on them. They still will love this country provided we do not give them reason to turn upon us."

The words made McKinley reflect briefly upon them before waving his hand in a dismissive motion "That remains to be seen Theodore. For now, we shall have to deal on a case by case basis." Overlooking Roosevelt's further attempts at protesting, McKinley turned back to Fury "What are the reactions that others are having to the Adapts?"

"Britain's getting as many as they can." Fury answered "They're pulling them in from all over their Empire for some sort of new Ministry. It isn't beyond believability that they'll be used for an Army of some kind. We believe that they've already started one such group for a purpose."

"You believe?" McKinley snapped at him "For all we know the British could be directing that unit at us and you can't even give me any details about it? I started your agency for results Fury, now give me something!"

Unable to answer, Fury merely remained stone faced as he took the berating. It was at this point that Osborn stepped in "If I may Mr. President, I believe I have the information that Fury failed to obtain."

While McKinley gave a smile of relief at that, Fury glowered at Osborn. He loathed the man; there was no doubt about that, but as the richest man in America, one of the driving forces behind the McKinley Administration and friend to the President. He was practically a member of the Cabinet and a great help to certain Government domestic issues. His newest design of 'Men or Iron' had brought about a new technological process that promised to revolutionise the art of War and as such, promised to be a major player in this Adapt business. With impatience, McKinley said "What information is that Norman?"

Acting as if he'd performed a great service, Osborn reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper, rising from his seat and handing it over to McKinley "This is a list of the people involved in this group, their powers and their target. Some member of the Austrian nobility I believe." Osborn said as if it was unimportant.

"Amazing Norman! McKinley said as he looked down the list before passing it onto Fury "How on Earth did you find all this out?"

"I have someone close to the group Mr. President. I do not wish to say more lest I place them in jeopardy." He gave a meaningful glance at Fury who had to stop himself from giving the man a verbal lashing over the implied insult. Ignoring Fury outright, Osborn went on "Needless to say, my agent can get us intelligence regarding every aspect of British intelligence. Including why the British Government have been so keen on buying some of Men of Iron designs."

"Those were the designs of Tony Stark as I recall." Roosevelt said, giving no hiding place for his contempt.

A smile flashed across Osborn's face "They were, until his tragic accident of course. Now, the designs are mine and at the disposal of those who want them. Now I have information regarding the British and my agent, she can give us anything we wish. Is there anything else Mr. President?"

McKinley once more looked over to Fury with a glance that told the veteran that his job was very much in danger "Not much Osborn. Just that if you come across any Adapt activity, you need to report it to us. We're planning on setting up a registry for them; we need to keep an eye on them. For the good of America."

"You can count on me Mr. President." Osborn said, a smile never leaving his face.

Western Poland:

Eisenhardt ran. Despite the pounding in his chest, despite the shortness of his breath, he ran as fast as he could to get out of Russian power. He had done it; he had struck at his oppressors, but at a great cost indeed. The Russian soldiers had come with their guns to strike at the Jews and Eisenhardt had been there to fight them. The soldiers had raised their guns and some had fired, only to gawk in surprise as their bullets stopped in mid-air and come right back at them. At least, some of them had. Eisenhardt's power still only had extended so far and he had failed to save everyone.

He had killed Russians though. The feeling he had when the Russians had fallen back, blood flowing from their wounds had been an incredible experience. Years of abuse and oppression had been struck back at with violence as the weapons the Russians had used were turned against them with a vengeance. They had been shocked at first, the few bullets Eisenhardt had managed to control shooting through the skulls of the soldiers, killing many as they stood. Unable to comprehend what was happening, the Russians broke and fled, the bullets still shooting right through them until Eisenhardt had collapsed from over exertion.

The others in Eisenhardt's village had cowered in a circle, wondering what had happened, many believing it a sign from God. Unable to keep quiet, Eisenhardt had told the survivors that he was responsible, that he had killed the Russians. It had not been an act of God, but man. Then, they had turned against him. They had asked why he had only spared some of them? Why not stop all of the bullets? Then they had demanded what he was going to do when the inevitable Russian reprisal? Would he be able to save them then? Some started to think he was a sorcerer, some saying that if they gave him to the Russians, maybe they would be spared. Some had defended Eisenhardt but they were in the minority, the crowd was too scared, too confused to listen. Eisenhardt had fled, and lucky to escape with his life.

So he ran, and he didn't know when he'd stop. All he knew that he had to get out of Poland; away from everything he had ever known or cherished, swearing revenge against everyone. He would not let this go unpunished. They would all burn before his wrath. None would survive, none would be spared…

To be continued…

**1: Khaki was a fabric not adopted by the British Army until 1897 and the Second Boer War. Although the colouring was different than described here for British soldiers.**

**2: Translated from Mandarin.**

**3: Mama Hao is a Chinese lullaby.**

**4: Up until World War Two, there was no united American Intelligence Service (A role the CIA eventually came into) with the different Governmental Departments taking on their own intelligence, sometimes in competition.**

**So… Yeah, another chapter done. I should mention, I'm going with the Age of Apocalypse use of the Victor Creed character, should be more interesting in some ways I think. Hope you enjoyed and please pass on some feedback.**


	5. Poker Night

Marvel: 1900

Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire, England, June 1900:

Although Howlett hadn't been too slow in criticising the earliest training exercises that British Intelligence had put up for him and the others, he had to admit, the Men of Iron certainly put a new twist on it all. Looking at them, he was reminded of those clockwork soldiers he sometimes saw passing toy shop windows. They were ugly, clunky things that looked more like suits of armour built out of metal boxes than actual men. Despite their appearance however, they had the ability to be deadly weapons if used correctly, automatic weapons were mounted on their arms, able to fire more than a hundred rounds a minute. Not spectacular, but an ample threat nonetheless.

Their mechanisms were a technological interest as well; they had a form of inbuilt heat sensor which, as far as Howlett was able to comprehend it, acted like some sort of self automated gun, the closer someone got, the more the mechanism shot at it. Not until the temperature fell below a certain point would the shooting stop. Although this was hugely wasteful and a large flaw, they were just prototypes and certainly gave an extra challenge to the training. It was still the same layout of Doom's castle but with the Men of Iron at certain places, an extra challenge was added. Thankfully, they weren't armed with real ammo but instead small pellets filled with paint. Not as lethal but even they left more than few bruises on the team.

The group was quickly running through the exercise now, three weeks had gone since Huanxin had broken down into tears and since then, the team had been on the up. The idea of working closer together, not just as a team but a group of friends had been a little difficult at first, the fact that all except Huanxin were born and bred loners made initial conversation difficult. As time passed however, they had gotten quite friendly with each other. Wagner's own cheerful personality lightening the mood of many conversations to the extent that actually talking to each other became enjoyable. Ororo let down her defences and Howlett was persuaded to stop blowing cigar smoke into everyone's faces whilst talking. Combined with Huanxin's own growing language skills, the group had been growing somewhat closer although not without some hiccups along the way.

These were currently being overlooked for now as the group went about with its exercise. At a corner, Howlett held up his hand, giving the signal to stop to the others. He had taken point with Creed behind him and Ororo at the rear, Wagner and Huanxin in the middle. Howlett looked around the corner to where the entrance to Doom's bedroom was set out to be. In front of it stood two Men or Iron, remaining still although that was only because the group was out of the range of their sensors. The Men or Iron that had been ordered by the British Government had a switch on the back which had been able to turn their sensors and guns off but with those two with their backs to the wall, it looked as if these ones would have to be taken down once and for all.

"Huanxin." Howlett said "Forward." The girl stepped forward according to the order; she had since picked up some English to get by on orders although still with some mishaps here and there. As she got close, Howlett pointed to the left hand side of the Men of Iron and muttered "Blast there."

Whether or not Huanxin had misunderstood or she had a hint of rebellion about her that day or whether not she just wanted to blow something up, Howlett never really got round to asking. He could only watch as Huanxin paused as she tapped into her powers before sending an enormous ball of multi-coloured light at the machine on the left. Using instincts that had been honed from years of getting the Hell out of harm's way, Howlett reached over and yanked Huanxin back behind the corner before the attack hit the automation, preparing himself from what he knew was coming.

It took only a second before the blast hit the machine dead on, causing an almighty explosion that smashed it onto pieces, wrenching the iron from its foundations and sending fragments ricocheting throughout the set, embedding both the walls and the Man of Iron beside it. Waiting for the low roar to die away before picking his head up, Howlett noticed that Huanxin had passed out in his arms from over exertion. She had only just started to learn how to control her powers, sending such an attack must have been exhaustive in the least. After setting the girl down and giving a quick glance to see if the others were alright, Howlett then turned his head around the corner to see the damage and raised an eyebrow at the scene.

The Man of Iron which had been standing so solidly was now almost destroyed. Only the legs and a sheet of metal at the top of them were left although they themselves were badly damaged. The second Man of Iron still stood, but scorch marks lined the metal and several pieces of metal embedded into its side, jutting out noticeably. Howlett felt the others craning around to see the damage and Creed gave a low whistle in surprise "Not bad, not bad at all."

"Well," Said Ororo, sounding more than a little put out "If I knew we were going to be allowed to do that…" She raised her arms into the air as she began to summon forth a dark cloud that churned over the Man of Iron. The black cloud rumbled high above their heads for a few moments before a bolt of lightning struck down and hit the Man of Iron with pinpoint accuracy, the strike causing the device to literally explode to pieces, obliterating it completely and forcing the team to duck for cover once more.

Staying hidden for quiet some time, the group only started to pick their heads up when silence had reigned for several moments. The only noise was Ororo panting from the effort of changing the weather patterns in such a way. Howlett looked over to her and gave a grin "I thought you'd be used to this."

"There's a difference between shifting the winds a little and creating something out of nothing." Ororo stated, the look of haggardness about her supporting that statement. Letting her get some moments to recover while he checked out the effects of the lightning bolt, Howlett looked on with trepidation at the scene. It was complete destruction, the lightning bolt having not only limited itself to the Man of Iron but the immediate surroundings as well. Walls had been torn down with some small fires spreading throughout the set, singing the fur of a nearby and already shaken squirrel.

Such was the force of the blast that the area that had been set out as Doom's bedroom had been almost destroyed from the impact, the bed smouldering from the low flames spreading on its sheets. Wagner gave a gasp as he saw what had happened, the idea that what had once been the domain of God alone making him slightly uncomfortable "Incredible…" He muttered surveying the damage.

"I think this means we've passed…" Creed said, not saying that he also thought that Melville would have a fit when he saw what had happened to two of the Men of Iron so expensively bought from America. He looked over to his and everyone else's clothes, noticing that that not a drop of paint was on any of them "And without a single casualty this time… except Huanxin."

The girl didn't stir at the mentioning of neither her name nor much else. She was a desperately deep sleeper to the point where it took serious effort by the group to even get her awake in the morning "Shall we wake her up?" Wagner asked.

"Leave her to it." Howlett said "We'll set her down in bed and talk to her later. Maybe Ororo can join her if she feels like it."

The last comment earned a glare from Ororo as she did indeed look exhausted from her attack. Taking a deep breath, she said "I'd forgotten… About how hard… lightning was." She felt dizzy and light headed as the full effects of the attack hit her, Wagner turning away quickly as he couldn't help but notice the way in which her chest moved with each breath.

Creed bent over and picked Huanxin up from the ground, carrying her like a small baby in his arms "Let's get going. I hardly think we're going to be in Melville's good graces when he finds out what's happened." With those words, the group turned to leave, the low flames from the lightning smouldering as they continued their slow burn of the faux building.

Sankuru River, Congo Free State: **(1)**

All along the bank of this secluded spot of the river, a crowd waited for the speaker. They were desperate, hate filled and eager for blood. Something they had all gained since the white men had come. Under the command of their King, the land had been brutalised and the people decimated because of his rule. Well no more. A meeting had been called; the Tribes from throughout the region had been called together by the least likely of people. Nine delegates from each tribe, each subsection and family-line had been called together to hear the words of the King, their King.

Just when the crowd had started to get impatient however, he arrived. The crowd parted like the sea before Moses as they looked upon the man who would be their saviour. Their eyes turned to the bank where he and his entourage stopped and gazed at the crowd. The King smiled before taking a breath, his speech would be heard and the words of King T'Challa of Wakanda would be known.

"_CAN YOU COUNT MY BRETHREN?!" _**(2) **T'Challa shouted, his voice being soaked up by hundreds of eager ears _"I SAY THAT THIS LAND WILL BE OURS ONCE MORE, IF YOU CAN COUNT!" _**(3)**

The crowd remained silent as they eagerly what the King had to say next, his voice going into ever last ear _"NOW LOOK AT YOURSELVES! WE HAVE ALUR STANDING NEXT TO HEMA! TWA NEXT TO LENDU! _**(4) **_NONE ARE FIGHTING, NONE ARE KILLING! THIS IS A MIRACLE! AND MIRACLES IS HOW THINGS ARE GOING TO BE!" _

A few scattered cheers were heard throughout the crowd as they heard the words which gave them hope they hadn't felt in some time. T'Challa raised his hands to quieten them down before going on _"WHAT YOU SEE ARE NINE DELEGATES FROM EVERY TRIBE, EVERY PEOPLE IN THE REGION! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WE OUTNUMBER THE WHITE MEN? TOGETHER, WE CAN RISE UP, WE CAN STRIKE BACK, WE CAN TAKE BACK WHAT'S OURS AND WE CAN RULE? CAN YOU SEE MY BRETHREN? CAN YOU SEE?!"_

A cheer that shook the very ground around the crowd showed that they did indeed share T'Challa's vision and they were believing in it every step of the way _"NOW BEFORE, WE WERE WEAK MY BRETHREN! THAT'S BECAUSE THE WHITE MAN BROKE US APART, KEPT US FIGHTING EACH OTHER BEFORE THEY STRUCK AT US AT OUR LOWEST! WELL NO MORE MY BRETHREN! BECAUSE NOW, WE ARE UNITED, WE ARE STRONG AND WE SHALL TAKE BACK WHAT IS OURS! CAN YOU SEE MY BRETHREN? CAN YOU SEE?!"_

The night air was filled with the roar of the crowd as they cheered for these words. No more would they be at the mercy of the foreigners and their ways. Dreams of an independent and powerful nation without European influence. Nothing would stand in their way of this one goal, nothing.

Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire, England:

Night had fallen over the castle and peace had descended throughout. After Melville had promptly voiced his… displeasure at the loss of the Men of Iron, everyone had retired for the night to a small study room which had been adopted as the unofficial relaxation quarters for the group. Over the last few weeks, it had been used as a room to just generally get on with being friends, not just a team. A factor that was in play now as Howlett, Creed, Ororo and Wagner were crowded around a small circular table, cards in hand as they had sat down for a game of poker. In lieu of Wagner's personal prohibitions regarding gambling, small pieces of Cadbury's chocolate were used as betting. **(5) **All though these were typically shared out by the winner regardless.

Howlett looked down at his hand and frowned, lady luck was deserting him tonight. He had spent nearly a shilling for tonight's haul in chocolate as well and Wagner always took more than his fair share. He threw in a whole bar, trying to out bluff the others and get away with this hand, lousy as it was. The others followed however, giving Howlett something to worry about until the door to the study opened. All four turned, expecting to see a soldier giving a message only to see Huanxin standing nervously at them. She took a breath before saying in slow English "May I… play?"

A smile spread across the faces of the other four and Creed spoke, making sure his words were loud and clear "You may. Get a chair and we'll deal you in." Huanxin followed his instructions, pulling a chair and sitting down, watching Creed cutting the deck anew and picking up her cards before realising she didn't know how to play.

The young girl tried not to show off her ignorance straight away and instead looked over to Howlett who she was sitting by. Glancing over his cards, she frowned and slowly said "What Four… Kings mean?" She asked, prompting Howlett to sigh in frustration as the rest instantly laid their cards down on the table.

"I fold."

"I'm out."

"I think we've found a new good luck charm."

Howlett grumbled and set his cards out on the table, Huanxin mimicking him to a tee. As Creed once more began to deal the cards, Huanxin tried to see if her English was as good as she hoped "The weather was… sunny… today."

A smile crossed Wagner's face as he nodded towards Ororo "You can thank Miss N'Dare here for that. That is her talent."

Huanxin frowned as she mentally translated that as best she could before bowing in gratitude to Ororo "Thank you." She said solemnly, much to Ororo's amusement.

"To be honest child, that was not down to me, a happily natural occurrence." Ororo paused as she wondered if she had gone a little too far before looking at Huanxin. The girl moved her lips silently in translation before giving a smile towards Ororo and looking down at her cards.

The game continued in silence for a while as they bet chocolate, dealt cards and made their moves before Wagner offered conversation "Did anyone read the paper today? There was an article about how that American declaring his intent to explore the Antarctic."

"That Jonathan Storm?" Howlett asked "Met him once, never shuts up."

"He seems like an earnest young man." Wagner said, ever looking for the good in people.

"If you mean that you want to earnestly shove him through a window and spending five minutes talking to him, I earnestly agree." Howlett gave a smirk which was unreturned by Wagner. Although he got on with the gruff Canadian, Wagner found his black sense of humour quite unappealing at times.

"Nothing good's ever come from America anyway." Creed stated "There was something else in the paper about one of those black leaders they've got over there, someone called Washington. **(6)** He got shot by one of them Red Shirts **(7) **and there's been riots all over because of it."

Of the group, Ororo was the one who had followed that story the closest. She had been told in her youth of the slave trade and how it had decimated parts of Africa. When she had learnt to read English, she had studied about the struggles of the slaves from Liverpool to Haiti with some respect for the leaders who had risen against their oppression. Booker T. Washington was a man she had respected for the most part although she thought he had not been forceful enough. Her thoughts were interrupted by Wagner saying "Well, he is with God now. I hope that the violence ends soon."

"Wouldn't bet on it." Creed said "One thing you can bet on with Yanks, they'll always find a way to make things worse." He looked down at his cards and the large pile of chocolate that had been pushed into the middle by the group "Alright, cards out, let's see who's won."

One by one, the group showed their cards with a triumphant Creed showing his hand, having a straight against Howlett's three of a kind and Ororo and Wagner's two pair. Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Creed leant in to pick up his winnings when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Looking to his side he saw Huanxin also grinning and holding up her cards as Creed's jaw dropped a little. She got four aces. As Huanxin scooped up her winnings Creed snarled "You little cheat!"

"That's rather serious Creed." Wagner said "Why do you think Miss Huanxin cheated?"

"Because those weren't the bloody cards I dealt her!" Creed growled, only realising what he said a few seconds later.

As everyone's stern gazes looked at Creed, Huanxin picked up a piece of chocolate, put it into her mouth and grinned.

To be continued…

**1: Remember the comparison I made between British Africa being like a shot in the ribs? The Congo Free State owned by King Leopold II of Belgium was the knife in the throat.**

**2: Translated from Tshiluba, a dialect of the Bantu language used in the Congo.**

**3: If you don't get the reference, you deserve to be thrashed suckers.**

**4: Ethnic groups in the Congo region.**

**5: Cadbury's chocolate was founded in the early 19****th**** century and gained some success although its recipe for milk chocolate was introduced until in 1904. The earlier style was noted for being coarser than the more modern style.**

**6: Booker T. Washington was a civil rights leader during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century made some headway in securing the education support for southern blacks. He actually died in 1915 due to overworking but his death in this story will broaden the American aspect a little.**

**7: The Red Shirts were a white supremacy group founded sometime after the first Klu Klux Klan were forced to disband.**

**Sorry about the wait, University work taking up a lot of time. Hope you enjoyed and leave some feedback.**


	6. Mission Started

Marvel: 1900

Portsmouth, England, July 1900:

If it had been one of those tales in magazines like the _Strand _**(1) **then the setting would have been more atmospheric, there would have been fog and a black sky, letting nothing into the scene for anyone looking on.

But when you've got someone with you who hates British fog and its oppressive feeling while having the ability to control the weather meant that the night air was clear and pleasant. The port upon which they were set to disembark from was small and isolated from the rest, with the group of six agents getting off a horse drawn carriage beside the edge of the water. They watched on in silence as the carriage went off into the night, disappearing around a corner before turning to look at the small ship that had been brought out for them.

"Ah, so Melville's going to try and have us drowned?" Howlett said upon looking at the ship, unimpressed. It was a small merchant boat, looked as if it was for a crew of three dozen at most and had definitely seen better days. Battered and dingy, confidence was not inspired by the sight of the ship by any in the group.

"Well… it could be worse." Essex said, earning him a glare from the others as he was the one who didn't have to travel on it.

From the side of the ship, a head popped over, looking down at the group with some exasperation "You lot finally here then?" He called out over the side "Get up the gangplank then, you've kept us waiting long enough!" Two of the group on the port grinned at the sound of a familiar voice as they walked onto the gangplank and onto the ship.

"Chapman? That you on this bucket?" Creed called out mockingly as the man approached them, his face never stopping from giving the group a stern glare.

"That'll be Captain Chapman to you Creed while you're on this vessel Creed." Came the curt retort from Chapman. He looked over the rest of the group before sighing "You and Howlett? What a shower…" Turning around, he looked over to Essex, casting a sceptical eye over him "You coming along as well toff?" The scorn in his voice gave a sure indication of what he believed the answer should be.

Overlooking the tone of the man's voice, Essex shook his head "There is business I must attend to in Portsmouth; I merely came to wish you well on your journey and mission."

A sceptical look crossed the faces of all present. Essex had not really shown much interest outside his books with Huanxin disliking the man especially for the way he looked at the team as if they were interesting experiments as opposed to actual people. Nevertheless, when he held out his hand to shake Howlett's in a bid for good luck, it was returned with a firm shake from the Adapt. With that business complete, Essex gave one final nod of encouragement to the group before leaving the ship, only Huanxin watching him go, just to make sure.

With Essex off the boat, Chapman started to shout out his orders to the crew, getting ready to leave immediately. He only gave the group a momentary look as if they were a mere inconvenience getting in the way of his proper job "Get down below deck, you ain't much good down here."

Ororo opened her mouth to let Chapman know she didn't take much pleasure in being spoken to like that before a hand on her shoulder grabbed her attention. She turned to see Howlett shake his head, knowing what Ororo would have said "Let's get gone." He muttered to her "No point arguing with him."

Reluctantly, Ororo followed Howlett as he led the group down to below deck, walking in silence as the boat left the port. Stopping only to help steady Huanxin, who had yet to gain her sea legs, the silence was broken once Ororo looking round the current section of the ship, a thin corridor that was unclean and appeared quite neglected to Ororo's critical eye "I'm so glad no expense was spared for us." She noted acidly, her nerves rising up at being in such an enclosed space and one in such a condition.

A sharp look from Howlett made her pause as he spoke "You think we were going to Austro-Hungary in a luxury yacht? Best way to attract attention that. Like this, we're just another merchant steamer heading towards Europe. Not going to be too many questions raised about us like this."

Acknowledging the logic with a small nod, Ororo looked around "Who was that man you spoke to? He said he was the Captain?"

"That'll be Chapman. Been part of British Intelligence for years, got a chip on his shoulder like you would not believe. Best not to talk about the Aristocracy to him." Creed volunteered as he checked his pockets for a hipflask "And don't bother asking him for a game of cards as well, he's a worse cheat than Huanxin."

At the sound of those words, Huanxin pulled a face "Cards were always there." She said defensively.

"Yeah, up your sleeve."

"Can we at least find out where our cabins are?" Wagner said suddenly, cutting into the argument before it could get started "It seems as if Herr Chapman will not be the most… pleasant of company on our voyage and it is several days until we shall reach Pula **(2) **and we will have to find some way to spend the time."

A smirk crossed Huanxin's face at that "Creed can lose chocolate to me more." She said, her English coming out more naturally as she went along, being a naturally fast learner.

Seemingly ignoring Huanxin's words, Creed said "We'll look around for the rooms, shouldn't be too hard to find. Come on, hopefully they'll have clean sheets if nothing else." He started to walk down the corridor of the ship, passing the others and then nonchalantly reaching out and giving Huanxin's shoulder a quick prod. Huanxin, already off balance from the ship, fell right onto her rear, giving a squeak from surprise. She glared at the retreating man with revenge in mind and the need to get back on her feet.

It took two minutes, after which Wagner had to help the landlubber girl to get up.

Washington D.C, USA:

As America's premier industrialist, Norman Osborn felt he was entitled to an address that matched his status. He had bought a large house in the Palisades with its own large amount of space to keep out prying eyes, coupled with the large amount of armed guards about the place to really discourage everyone but the terminally curious to have a look.

Such security was uncommon and Osborn quite often defended it by pointing out attempts had been made on his life by 'Socialists' as Osborn called them. In truth, there was a secret in the cellar of his house that had helped him gain the amount of power and influence he held. His cellar, well, more like a bunker crossed with a dungeon was home to a single occupant, a young girl, an Adapt whose powers had aided him greatly. She had been an outcast when he had found her, scorned as a freak and completely alone, her physical appearance proclaiming what she was loudly. Seeing in her powers great potential, Osborn gained her trust, took her into his home and then used every thing in his power to break her spirit. Beatings were regular, as well as forced cocaine doses, turning the girl into a malnourished addict that depended upon Osborn for everything in return for using her powers to help him.

Osborn was at the cellar and looking down on the girl when he reflected upon how much influence he had obtained through the girl. It was her who told him of Stark's whereabouts and he had been able to exploit that knowledge and obtain the Men of Iron designs. He dismissed the thought of thanking her of course, she was a freak Adapt and once he had gained what he truly wanted, she'd be taken care of easy enough. Taking a slip of paper from his jacket pocket, Osborn slipped it through the bars of the girl's cell "This is the latest coded message from Britain, what does it say?"

Filthy, thin hands grasped feebly at the paper as the girl brought it close to her eyes so she could read it, one of them was still swollen up "I-It says that they've gone on their mission… Joseph can't follow them. But he'll send a message as soon as he receives news about them." She added hurriedly, not wanting to face Osborn's wrath once more.

Much to the girl's relief, Osborn nodded amiably enough "I see. Well he would stand out on a ship certainly enough. Very well, we'll just have to see what happens with Prince Doom then won't we?"

Turning to leave, Osborn stopped upon hearing the girl whimper pathetically "P…lease, can I have some food? I-I haven't eaten in so long."

"About six days." Osborn said casually "I suppose there are some scraps we've yet to give to the dogs you can have." He suddenly glared at her, his face contorting into outright fury as his mood whipped from one end of the spectrum to the other "But if you talk out of turn again, you'll damn well starve. You understand you little freak?"

Her will utterly broken long ago; the girl could only mutter feebly "Y… Yes Mr. Osborn."

Nodding smugly, Osborn's mod once more reverted back to calmness "Good. I'll be seeing you when my contact next sends word. If it's good down, I might even cut down on the beatings and give you a little more food. Until then, don't act up or else." With those words, Osborn left the cellar, leaving the girl alone with only her pangs of hunger and the need for cocaine giving her company.

Latveria, Austro-Hungarian Empire:

Doom was an important man, a very important man. Prince of one of the great European Powers and his own personal fiefdom was wealthy, prosperous and powerful, a stepping stone to his own rise to power he felt. As he sat in a study in his own personal study, he reflected upon his ambitions… no, his destiny. Soon, his plans would come to fruition and he would be Emperor but that was merely the beginning. What was Austro-Hungary after all? A ramshackle Empire that was the weakest of the powers, there were much greater prizes to be had after all and with the weaponry he himself had designed, Europe would fall, then Africa, Asia and finally, the Americas. The entire World would bow to Doom.

The attempts upon his life had been mere amusements and Doom smiled as he thought how he had brilliantly deflected each and every assassination attempt. But this one coming up was new; a group of Adapts, brought together by the British Empire would try to kill him? Despite some instincts telling him to take car of the problem before it even reached his domain, Doom had designs for the Adapts in general and maybe this group could be persuaded to join his cause. If not, well he had been curious about if some Adapts had different coloured blood than Homo Sapiens.

The smile remained on Doom's face as he gazed over the World map in his study, each area marked out for conquest. Yes, let the Adapts come and see just how well they could do. And when they failed and the Empire was his, all of Europe would tremble before him and all would eventually bow down before Doom.

To be continued…

**1: The **_**Strand Magazine **_**was a publication started in the late 19****th**** century usually full of fictional stories and was the first publication that Sherlock Holmes appeared in.**

**2: A port city in modern day Croatia.**

**Sorry for the wait on this one, had major writer's block when it came to my fics as of late. Hope you enjoyed regardless and let me know what you think of it!**


	7. Latveria

Marvel: 1900

Latveria, Austro-Hungary, July 1900:

Despite himself, Howlett had to admit that the sight before him and the group was pretty damn impressive. The Castle of Doom was an overwhelming sight indeed. A mighty structure, built with stone and the strongest steel to support the weight. The sheer scale of the building was magnificent, even when he had been studying it for the last few months and knew the interior inside out; Howlett had to admit that the castle was fairly breath taking. The fact that they were viewing it by Moonlight added to the atmosphere, a large full Moon hung in the air beside the castle, adding an eerie glow to it. Perched on a cliff, there was only one real way up, a straight path that offered the minimum of cover to the inexperienced. The other three sides were sheer cliff face that was impossible to climb, at least in the time limit they had.

Beside Howlett, the rest of the team stood silent, he had been designated team leader and what it was up to him to give the orders. They were in the forest surrounding the castle, a thick collection of trees that allowed them to approach the secluded castle largely unnoticed. He gave them one last look, noting that the black khaki uniforms were better than his usual thrown together outfit although maybe a symbol on them would improve the general feel. Howlett brought himself back to reality and discarded the thought, wondering where it had come from before going back to the task at hand "Ok, you all know the drill, we go in, kill Doom and get out. If you want to turn back… well, you're too late anyway."

The comment didn't seem to have any effect on anyone, Creed looked bored, figuring it was largely business as usual, Ororo had a scowl etched on her face, having to remind herself just why she was doing this, Huanxin looked quite ill as if the reality of the situation had just truly hit her while Wagner had a look of grim determination on his face "We can not turn back." The German muttered "For the sake of Europe, we have to stop this madman. But…" He stopped, these words having been spoken many times over the last few months and it seemed redundant to bring them up again at this point.

Much to Wagner's surprise, Howlett placed a hand on his shoulder as a gesture of solidarity "Don't worry Kurt, we ain't gonna ask you to do this. Me and Creed have got enough blood on our hands. One more ain't gonna matter much." The tone was low and sad, Howlett knowing the truth of those words far too well.

With a sad little sigh, Wagner let his shoulders droop as he replied "In a better World, that wouldn't be needed."

"In a better World, me and Howlett wouldn't be around." Creed said bluntly, not wanting to delay anymore "We all know what to do, let's do it." He started to walk ahead towards the castle before pausing a moment and looking over his shoulder "And good luck." He said before walking through the forest, the group quickly following behind him in silence.

XxX

Even from a few feet back, Ororo could still smell the blood on Howlett and Creed's hands. The two had killed five men between then, guards that had got in the way of their path. The others hadn't said anything although Huanxin had buried her face in her hands all five times at the kills. They had been swift, silent and almost instantaneous; Ororo could see now why the British Government valued these two so much. They were killers, cool and precise. She knew that they were much more than that but when it came to doing unpleasant things; they were the best at it. Since they had infiltrated the castle using a window at the front, no guard had had time to even speak before they had been killed, the efficiency being eerie in every way.

The group moved silently through the castle, heading towards Doom's private chambers. None spoke as they walked through the corridors of power until they reached the doors of Doom's bedroom. It was at the end of a long corridor and two guards stood on both side of the two doors, alert and wary. The group paused behind the corridor, Howlett acting as their eyes as he looked down to their targets "Think you can make that distance Wagner?" He whispered to the German.

Peering out slowly, his eyes squinted to avoid showing the yellow in the low light; Wagner carefully glanced down the corridor, wondering just why Doom used flaming torches to light his castle when he was so advanced in weaponry. He saw the two guards despite the disadvantages though and whispered back "I can. But I shall handle this Howlett. Enough have died this night; one more is all we have to do."

With those words, Wagner suddenly teleported from one end of the corridor to the other, right between the guards. Neither had time to even process the sight before them before both were dealt incapacitating blows to their heads that sent both to the ground, unconscious. Despite his slim frame, Wagner knew how to deal a punch when needed. Making a murmur of approval, Howlett quickly followed up the corridor, the rest staying hidden; it was up to Howlett and Wagner now to complete the mission.

Crossing the space between them in record time, Howlett rushed up to Wagner, mildly impressed at the speed of his strike. He ignored the two guards and gave Wagner a pat on the shoulder "Good hits, they're not going to be happy when they wake up though."

"Then we should finish our mission and leave before they do so." Wagner retorted, wrapping an arm around Howlett's shoulders "Let's finish this." He sad, his voice tinged with some sadness at the knowledge of what he was helping to accomplish. Before Howlett could respond, his vision went black for an instant as the teleportation took place, the disorienting affect of the power still lingered even after a few months of getting used to it. Managing to bring his thoughts away from the teleportation, Howlett looked round the room and instantly knew something was wrong. It was the air itself, Howlett's instincts screaming at him that the while situation was wrong at that they needed to leave.

As his eyes caught up with his instincts and brain, he realised all the warnings were coming from the fact that there were ten guards, all with guns pointed directly at him and Wagner. Both paused in shock at the sight, this was something entirely out of the blue and with horror, both knew that they'd been trapped, Doom had discovered them.

"Stay right there." One guard said in thickly accented English while motioning with one hand towards the door. A second guard rushed open and opened them, leaving the path to the corridor open and revealing that the corridor was lined with soldiers, the walls having concealed secret passages. Literally dozens of dark green clad guards with Doom's newly designed automatic guns stood, pointing them at both him and Wagner or the others at the end of the corridor, Huanxin looking scared, the girl was suddenly even more out of her depth. Howlett inwardly cursed that he hadn't fought harder to make her stay at England, last resort indeed…

The guard who seemed to be in charge motioned with his gun to the end of the corridor towards the rest of the group "Go with them, we will take you to Doom. Do not use your powers or the girl will die first." And with that many men with so many guns, it was obvious that even with Wagner's teleportation, resistance was useless… for now at least. Slowly and with their hands raised, Wagner and Howlett started to walk towards the end of the corridor towards the rest of the group, both seeing that the walls had been opened up, revealing passages behind them where the guards had managed to sneak up on them. Two sudden shots from behind made Howlett twist around to see that the two guards who had been felled by Wagner's blows were being finished off. Apparently, Doom cared little for failure even when success was impossible.

"Move! This way!" The man in command ordered, the group looking sullen as they trudged forward. If he had been by himself or even with Creed, he might have managed to pull something off although he doubted that even he'd manage to pull through that amount of bullets. The armed guard led them through the passages of the castle as each member of the group wondered just what was going to happen apart from one, only Howlett noticed that Ororo was sweating quite badly, her eyes glazed over. With a sudden realisation, Howlett edged slightly away from her, knowing that was coming certainly wasn't going to benefit his health at all if he got too close.

After some time being escorted through the castle, the group was led through a huge set of double doors and finally, Doom's own Throne Room. It said a lot about the man that his own Throne Room was supposed to be that of a Prince but easily outclassed that of a true Emperor. It was truly a gargantuan room, big enough to fit a house in at the least. At the opposite end of the room, the largest collection of stained glass windows Howlett had ever seen, they literally made up the wall, each image displaying a glorious moment throughout the family history of the Doom lineage.

In front of the windows there sat a Throne, with such design and decoration that it bordered on tacky. The golden gild that lined the Throne was covered with sublime patterns and decorations that it must have taken several master craftsmen to bring it all together. On the seat of the Throne however, was the person who took up everyone's attention. He looked upon them in silence as the group was brought before him, his eyes cool and unwavering, sizing them up. Not liking how he looked at them, Creed gave the Prince a sneer and broke the silence "What in the name of Hell are you wearing?"

Doom's gaze flickered over to Creed and he waved idly to a guard who used the butt of his gun to smack Creed across the face with full force. Creed merely flinched in reply and smirked, ignoring the blood trickling down his lip "Take away these guards Doom and then we'll see if you can hit any harder."

Ignoring Creed for now, Doom rose from his Throne and gazed down upon the group, his outfit definitely warranting Creed's earlier question. He was clad in a full suit of armour, quite unlike anything that the others had ever seen. It fitted around his skin, crafted to be tight around his body and with three small openings on his face, two for his eyes and one for his mouth. Over the armour there was a hood and cape as well as a robe, cut short to end at his thighs and shoulders, all of which were coloured a dark green. Howlett and Creed shared a glance at this appearance before Howlett growled "Let me guess, we interrupted you on the way to a costume party?"

The sarcastic question earned a small and frightened giggle from Huanxin while Doom regarded the man with a cool gaze. Slowly and with menace, he walked over to the group, standing right in front of Howlett as he glared down at the shorter man, Howlett giving no ground as he glared back. Finally, Doom raised his hand and struck Howlett across the face with such force that he stumbled backwards as Doom finally spoke "You presumptuous little idiot. You dare mock Doom?"

Howlett managed to steady himself, not saying anything but instead spitting at Doom's feet, the phlegm marked with blood "If it weren't for your lackeys here, I'd do a lot worse tin man." He snarled, fighting the urge to leap at Doom and kill him where he stood. Howlett desperately hoped that whatever Ororo was planning to do, she'd do it soon.

"If not for your simple-mindedness, you would know that this is the ancestral armour of the Doom family!" Doom turned away from the group and back to his Throne and from the high-back, took a crown from the top before displaying it towards them "And this is the Crown which shall herald forth a new age for Doom!" As much as the Throne was beautifully designed, the Crown was even more so, gold laden and with jewels lined across it, the thing practically screamed Royalty.

A snort of contempt was the only answer Doom received for this reveal "Great, we came all this way simply so you could show off your wardrobe." Creed sneered, his voice laced with sarcasm "Can we just skip to the part where I kill you?"

Taking the Crown in his hands, Doom lowered it onto his head before saying "And kill the Emperor of Austro-Hungary?"

"You're not Emperor." Wagner said, the outrage in his voice showing. He had been silent up till now but this display of arrogance had snapped him down to reality with a bump "You're a tyrant! A modern day Nero! We saw what you did to that village! How could you?!"

For the first time, Doom actually looked at Wagner before dismissing him with a wave of his hand "They were my subjects and if I command that they should die, then they die. And soon, the entire World will do likewise." He stood before the group, dressed in the armour with the Crown upon his head, visions of grandeur and glory swimming through his mind. Doom forced himself to think of the moment however, this problem still needed to be dealt with "And as for your kind, Adapts is the word they've given you isn't it? Well you five shall be the test subjects to see just what makes the Adapts so special, cutting you open should be of little difficulty." Doom actually laughed at a sudden thought "This shall be my first proclamation as Emperor! This honour should be of some comfort to you during your sacrifice!"

An animalistic growl came from Howlett's throat, his patience long since worn thin "We haven't come here to die and you ain't Emperor. I'm gonna make sure of that." He itched to unleash his claws and stick them into Doom's face but with over forty guards, all with guns pointed at the group, the action was out of the question for now.

Another laugh came from Doom's mouth, his eyes glittering as he spoke, victory spurring on his pride "Wrong on both counts. You shall all die, and you shall do so knowing that you've failed. All of those whose claim to the Throne came before mine are all dead. I gave the order the moment you stepped into Latveria."

A dreadful silence descended across the room as the news sunk in as well as the realisation that they had failed in their mission "You're lying." Wagner said hoarsely, refusing to believe that they had come so far for nothing.

"My agents have already seen to the demise of the Emperor and all those below him. It's amazing how natural deaths can appear to be with certain poisons. There are two who will be killed by terrorists of course. An advantage with this Empire is that there are so many groups to blame for a bomb placed or a gun shot **(1) **quite remarkable." He smiled through his mask, allowing himself to bask in his own genius for a moment before continuing "And with the Royal Family dead, the nation shall need a new leader, a great man who will guide them into this century and beyond. This armour is merely a reflection of what my reign shall be like. Uncompromising, unblemished and as strong as iron. The World shall be mine and you can do nothing to stop me! I shall reign supreme!" Doom raised his arms in victory and the soldiers, as if they'd been through this before, started to cheer at his speech, as much out of fear as actually enjoying it.

Through the noise, one voice was heard. Ororo finally spoke, her breath short and voice quiet as she said "You made one mistake Doom…"

With a growl, Doom looked down at Ororo, contempt oozing from him as he said "And just what is that?"

"You stood next to a window."

There was a second of silence as Doom looked at Ororo, went to speak and that's when the lightning struck. The amount of time Ororo had spent gathering the forces in order to make such a strike could clearly be shown, the force of the lightning shattering the window and tearing the masonry around it from its place. The noise of the destruction, followed by the thunder clap afterwards was deafening, causing many to almost collapse as they covered their ears. Doom received the worst of it, being closest to the noise and being struck by his Throne as the force of the blast from the lightning made it leap into the air and hit him in the back, knocking him to the ground, dazed and confused.

The team itself managed to take advantage of this to an extent, Howlett had jumped in front of Huanxin to shield her from the worst of the blast, wincing at the sound of the thunder clap on his acute hearing. Creed simply jumped into action, leaping at the disorientated guards and taking a bloody tool, his claw like hands becoming deadly weapons as he struck one after another before they could recover. Wagner was unsteady, he hadn't realised what Ororo had been planning and had been knocked on his back in shock. He scrambled to his feet and instead of joining Creed, rushed over to Ororo, his face etched with worry when he saw her fall to the ground. He got a hold of her before her head hit the ground, concern filling him as he saw she was barely conscious, her eyelids drooping from exhaustion "Ororo! Are you alright?!"

A smile slowly spread across Ororo's face at the question, seemingly touched by it "Never… going to do anything… that big again." She mumbled quietly, shaking her head to drive the weariness away.

"Wagner! Come on!" Came an order behind Wagner, he turned and saw that Howlett had unsheathed his claws and was preparing to attack "She'll be fine! We've got to finish these off before they can recover!" With that, he launched himself at one guard and stabbed him in the chest with his claws, withdrawing them as he quickly moved onto another, not ever blinking as he killed men in rapid succession.

Hesitating, Wagner felt a tug at his hands and saw Ororo was pushing herself up, grimacing as she fought her tiredness "Go with him Kurt." She hissed, struggling to get to her feet "We've got to finish this now!" Realising she was right, Wagner gently let her go so she wouldn't tumble and joined the fight, teleporting to over the head of one guard, landing on his back and striking him across the head with his fist after he fell to the ground. He was willing to fight, but he would not kill like Creed and Howlett. With that out of the way, he teleported once more into a group of three men, letting out a series of punches and kicks to their heads which sent them to the floor. Wagner's yellow eyes flashing as he delved into battle.

But, despite his powers, Wagner was still inexperienced and lacked the instincts that Creed and Howlett took had honed over the years. As he dealt a blow to one guard, another who had finally recovered managed to grab his gun and bring it up to aim "Die you Demon!" He called out, his finger preparing to shoot when a bolt of energy struck him in the face. The guard collapsed to his knees, howling in agony as he covered his eyes with his hands, the smell of burnt flesh suddenly in the air. Wagner turned to the other side to see Huanxin give him a critical look, as if scorning him for his lack of focus.

Summoning another spark of energy, Huanxin let it fly, striking a guard in the groin. A high pitched scream was heard as the man hit the ground "Was aiming for the face." Huanxin said, looking somewhat sheepish before dealing with the matter at hand, letting loose with a series of blasts to their foes. Taking a cue from the young girl, Wagner resolved to go back to battle, sticking by Ororo as she leaned against a wall to help her get back on her feet. The fight was much easier going now however, Creed and Howlett had taken out the bulk of the guards, the floor stained with blood from those who had fallen. They had not gotten off free however; Creed had been shot several times, his body bleeding from several places and movement now sluggish while Howlett also limped quite badly, his right knee having suffered under a barrage of bullets.

By now, only a few guards remained alive, either the victim of an incapacitating blow by Wagner or a blinding attack from Huanxin that left them too injured to carry on. Creed moved to finish one off but a warning spark struck in front of his feet, looking up he saw Huanxin give him a severe look, the man was out of the fight, that was good enough for her. Raising his hands in submission, Creed merely booted the man across the head, knocking him out before looking round the room, the floor littered with the injured and dead. Howlett was leaning against a wall, waiting for his knee to recover while Wagner was fussing over Ororo, much to her annoyance.

Creed actually breathed out in a sigh of relief, this was much easier than he thought it would be. All they had to do now was make sure Doom was dead and then get out of Austro-Hungary before it really hit the fan. Creed turned round to look at where Doom had fallen and was promptly shot in the head, his head snapping backwards as he fell to the floor, blood falling down his head as hit the floor, not dead but with such a headache that it certainly looked like an attractive alternative. At the sound of the shot, everyone had followed to where Creed had looked and saw Doom had thrown the Throne off his body and was standing, his eyes blazing with fury and arm outstretched, a small gun on the wrist of his gauntlet pointing in front of him, some kind of mechanism built and hidden into his suit for just an occasion it seemed.

"YOU DARE DO THIS??!!" Doom screamed, his previous cool manner gone completely as he started to rave, Howlett seeing in him as someone who, for the first time in his entire life, had come across a difficulty in his plans that he had failed at beating. All his plans, schemes and calculations were in serious threat of failing for the first time and Doom was not taking it well "YOU DARE INVADE THE HOUSE OF DOOM AND TRY TO KILL ME?! YOU! WILL! DIE!!" Doom clenched his fist and it shot a bullet right at Howlett, hitting him dead in the chest. Howlett hit the wall with a crack and he slumped to the floor, eyes closed.

Just as Doom turned to aim his gun at another of the group, Wagner teleported on top of the Prince, grappling with him and trying to remove the gun from his wrist. Doom struggled with him and managed to grab Wagner's arm, pulling it at such an angle that a snap was heard as it was broken at the elbow. Wagner screamed in agony as Doom proceeded to twist the broken bones before throwing the German across the room where he landed in a heap. Snarling in fury, Doom raised his hand once again, aiming his gun at the crumpled man before him. He was interrupted once more by something leaping on top of him and saw fingers wrap around the helmet of his armour, Huanxin had leapt to action.

"Get off me you Manchu brat!" Doom yelled, trying to yank the girl off his back, not noticing at first the slowly building temperature around his face. His attempts to pull her off impeded by his armour limiting the movement of his arms, unable to pull her off his back completely while Doom refused to submit to the indignity of punching himself in the face in order to remove the grip of her fingers.

"Huanxin! Get off him now!" A voice that Huanxin recognised as Ororo's. As Doom had been distracted by both Wagner and Huanxin, Ororo had used the opportunity to grab one of the guns left on the floor, she wasn't an expert but you aimed and pulled the trigger, that was easy enough in the current situation. Aiming it at Doom, Ororo didn't dare fire as his thrashings threatened to bring Huanxin in the line of fire. Ororo scowled in frustration until she saw the glowing lights on Huanxin's hands and realised what the girl was up to, she was putting her energy into the metal of Doom's mask. With a growing sense of horror, Ororo realised that Huanxin was effectively trying to bake Doom where he stood.

Ororo was not the only one that realised what Huanxin was up to. Doom started to feel the heat steadily climb, his skin starting to sweat before the heat got worse and he felt blisters start to spread across his face. Doom's eyes opened wide before squeezing themselves shut as he heightened his attempts to get Huanxin off him, resorting to striking the side of his face where one of her wrists were. There was a snap and Huanxin screamed as she felt her wrist break from the pressure. Blinking back tears, Huanxin gripped even harder and put as much energy as she could into her task, blasting the metal with raw power, the heat of the helmet rocketing and blistering Huanxin's hands badly. Doom felt the area around his face feel as if it was bursting into flames from the heat and he let out an agonised roar.

Unable to withstand the pain anymore, Doom threw himself on his back, crushing Huanxin between the floor and his own heavy armour, the Crown on his head falling to the wayside. Huanxin screamed and let go, turning to her side and coughing up some blood from the pressure. Doom likewise turned on his side and started to crawl away, his breaths coming out in rasps as he tried to ignore his agony and wait for his helmet to cool down. Still pointing the gun at Doom, Ororo rushed over to Huanxin, ignoring the wooziness she suffered from "Can you hear me child?" She asked, worry lining her every word.

Relief flooded Ororo when Huanxin gave her a look and was able to smile "Felt… better." She mumbled and flinched as a spasm of pain went through her body. She was battered and bruised, but would live. Ororo looked back to Doom to see that he had managed to get back on his feet, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps, and then he turned round.

Several years ago, Ororo had once come across a dog that had spent several days out in the wild, starved and driven mad in the heat. The dog had attacked everything, a look of sheer ferocity in its eyes. As she looked into the eyes of Doom, Ororo saw everything she had seen with that dog, amplified by Doom's own brand of insanity. A smell of burnt flesh invaded her nose and she fought the urge to gag, whatever was under that helmet now was not the handsome visage that had once been. The pain Doom was feeling however only spurred on his actions, his iron will forcing him onwards "YOU DARE DO THIS??!" He screamed, his thoughts now only on vengeance "I SHALL KILL YOU ALL! YOU WILL NOT! LEAVE! HERE! ALIVE!!!"

Doom raised his hand, felling it shake a little before he steadied himself, showing outright control as he aimed it at Ororo who held her gun in place, pointing it at the Prince. Neither moved as Ororo didn't like the chances of actually penetrating his armour with the bullets and Doom hissed as the metal around his head cooled, the pain withdrawing slightly. His thoughts clearing somewhat, Doom allowed some of his previous pride to come back "I suppose your powers are spent after that one blast. Pathetic."

A grin slowly slid across Ororo's face just before she answered back "My powers might be exhausted for now, but theirs are not."

Doom spun around to his side to face the attack but was too late, both Howlett and Creed barrelled into him, barging into the Prince with their shoulders and sending him flying across the room from sheer force. Doom fell backwards near to where the stained glass had now stood, the opening leading to a gaping hole with only a cliff and the open air remaining. Doom rose and took the measure of the two facing him, both were bloodied and unsteady, Creed looking like he was ready to topple over from the shot to his head while Howlett was practically crouching, his knee unable to bear much weight. Doom himself was going on through sheer will power alone, his facial injuries would have brought down a lesser man but Doom was nothing if not driven by his own will.

Taking a breath and managing to rise to his feet in time to point the gun at the approaching two. Doom allowed himself to smile as he said "Now, do you honestly think…?" A noise to his side and a strangely formed hand gripping the gun before tearing it from the armour led Doom to realise he had completely forgotten about Wagner. With a scream borne of fury and frustration, Doom launched his fist to the side, hoping to take Wagner's head off with his blow. He managed only to see Wagner smirking at him before the German teleported out of reach, dropping the broken gun as he went, the clang it made as it hit the floor only adding to Doom's rage.

Barely having time to register Wagner's assault, Howlett and Creed were once more upon Doom, both using raw strength to knock him backwards. Doom felt blow after blow reign down upon him, the armour offering only protection from the pain, not the force. Wanting to finish this, Creed gave Doom an almighty uppercut using what reserves of strength he had left. The blow struck Doom square on the chin and sent him through the remains of the glass and out into the open air, a sheer drop awaited him as he feebly tried to grab onto any sort of grip, he failed.

With the sudden realisation that his fate was now sealed, Doom's anger increased to such levels that he was now surrounded by a red mist, an ocean of rage where he was a strange cool island. So furious that screaming would not convey how he felt. In the split second before gravity had its effect, Doom managed to speak one last time with five words "I… Will… Kill… You… All…" And then he plummeted downwards without making another sound. Creed watched as Doom fell silently, feeling unnerved by it. If the man had screamed as he fell, if he hadn't treated the plummet like some minor annoyance then Creed would have felt a lot better.

Creed watched as Doom fell, his body becoming little more than a dot before he finally hit the ground, obscured by the forest below. Silence reigned afterwards with Howlett and Creed looking down before it was broken with Creed asking "You think he's dead?" And then feeling quite stupid for saying so after.

Howlett looked at Creed in amazement, trying to see if he was joking "He just got his face melted and was punched down several hundred yards. I think we can put this down as a 'yes'."

A shiver went up Creed's spine as he gave the forest below one last look "I hope you're right." He muttered before turning round. Despite Howlett's words, he honestly felt that if anyone could survive that, it was Doom. Just something about the man gave him the impression he'd storm the gates of Heaven if he had the option, and would probably win.

The two limped back over to the rest of the group, Howlett wincing as he felt his knuckles twinge. He looked down to them and saw they were pouring with blood, Doom's armour having made him unable to use his claws. He was supremely thankful (Not for the first and definitely not the last time) for his healing factor. He'd have largely recovered from his injuries within a few days, same as Creed although it often felt as much as a curse as it was a blessing, especially the morning afters they had…

By now Ororo had helped Huanxin to here feet, the young girl clutching her ribs and she desperately needed medical attention for her wrist and broken ribs. Wagner also looked the worse for wear, his arm jutting out at a weird angle and he looked severely shaken by the gore around him. Only Ororo looked somewhat healthy although she was tearing off the sleeves of her black uniform to use as makeshift slings "We'll need to bring a medical kit if we do this again in the future." She muttered as she helped tighten the material around Wagner's arm before moving onto Huanxin's wrist, wincing in sympathy at seeing the terrible burn scars on her palms before tying the wrist up with the her torn sleeve "So what now?"

"We get out of here, and fast." Howlett said, looking out of the gaping hole where once the windows had stood "If what Doom said is true then there'll be people coming to ask him to take the Empire soon. We don't want to be round when they do."

"And if he was telling the truth…" Wagner said slowly, thought being put into every word "The immediate Royal Family of the Empire is dead, the whole nation will explode. We failed." He sank down a little, his shoulders slumping in despair at the thought.

Recognising the encroaching signs of depression, Howlett growled loudly, getting Wagner's attention "That ain't our fault. Doom was two steps ahead of us the entire time. We put him out of action, that's what counts for now. We need to get back to England fast before we're discovered. Creed, you can carry Huanxin, we have to get back to Pula as soon as possible. I really don't want to be in here once news gets out of what's happened."

Picking up Huanxin tenderly, Creed tried to avoid touching his own wounds with the girl's body. Huanxin gave him an embarrassed smile, obviously wanting to walk on her own two feet but realising that it was impossible in her current condition. She noticed a gleam in the Moonlight over an abandoned object and pointed over to it. Creed walked over to wear she was pointing and grinned at her, bending over so she could pick up the Crown "Well we may as well get something from tonight." He said as Huanxin slipped the battered Crown into her jacket.

Wagner looked at Creed in amazement at his stamina, the wound on his head still visible "Are you sure you can walk Creed?" He asked, hardly able to believe his own eyes.

"You mean the head shot? Oh, I'll survive but I'll spend the new few days feeling like I'm really drunk and in the middle of a really bad hang over at the same time but I'll recover. Just don't speak too loudly for a week."

Howlett gave the two a wave with his hand to silence them "We've got to keep moving, come on." With that, he started to lead them out, wondering why Huanxin wanted the Crown of all things before resolving to ask her later. For now, the group moved quickly and silently out of the castle and into the forest, leaving behind them death and destruction from the battle.

Some time after they had left, a group of people from a nearby village approached the castle. They had seen the lightning strike and heard the gunfire and curiosity and hope overrode their need for survival. They entered the castle and at the scenes greeting them spurred them on as they grabbed as many items as they could and went on. Doom had been a tyrant and brutal leader; revenge for those wronged for so long was going to be sweet. The surviving guards didn't have time to plead or even protest before they were torn to pieces by the mob. When the desperate representatives of the Austro-Hungarian Government rushed to Latveria, they were horrified to see what seemed to be a rebellion against Prince Doom had taken his life.

No one looked at the bottom of the cliff at where Doom's body lay. When someone eventually did look several days later to make certain, all they found was a piece of torn dark green tunic. Nothing else.

To be continued…

**1: The Austro-Hungarian Empire suffered from nationalistic strains which were to be a large factor in its demise in the aftermath of World War One.**

**I probably overdid it with the third person speaking but let's face it; Doom is very much a large ham. Justified though, his name is 'Doom' after all. Hope you enjoyed that chapter and let me know what you think.**


	8. Fall Of An Empire, Rise Of A Power

Marvel: 1900

London, England, August 1900:

For such a lovely summer's day, the first day of August in fact Howlett's mood was foul. Two days since he and the rest of the group had left Austria and he had volunteered to give the news to Melville about the mission while the rest recuperated at the Great Central Hotel. Even Howlett was not fully bodily able; his knee still injured enough to force him to limp quite badly although the pain had dulled significantly, another day and he'd fine. Clad in his regular leather trousers, brown skinned jacket and boots, Howlett was once more waiting outside Melville's office, waiting for when he could go inside. This time, he was a lot more patient than before, news had started to reach all of Europe about the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Howlett doubted he or his group would be the favourites of Military Intelligence at the minute.

The door to beside him opened and Howlett turned to see Melville looking at him. He was tired, haggard but without the fury Howlett was expecting "You better come in." The man said, turning around and leaving Howlett to close the door as he walked through. A mere glance at Melville's desk told Howlett that the collapse of Austro-Hungary had increased his workload a lot. The desk was piled high with notes and messages scrawled as news about the crumbling Empire reached ever faster paces "Never thought I'd get so much work in so little time. Wonder of the telegraph really." Melville commented as he sat down, offering the confused Howlett a seat with a wave of his hand, this wasn't how a tirade was supposed to begin.

Sitting down carefully as not to aggravate his knee, Howlett watched Melville carefully as he shuffled a few papers before looking back "Well then, tell me what happened. No need for every single detail, I just need to know how you killed Doom."

Still suspicious regarding Melville's calm demeanour, Howlett gave a brief overview of the mission, leaving out the part where they didn't look for a body. When he had finished, Melville looked at him before picking up a piece of paper from the pile and saying out loud "Riots in Vienna, the Government's crippled and confused, the Empire's being pulled apart at the seams… Could have been worse."

Howlett looked at Melville in shock, looking at his face for a hint of a joke "How?" He demanded.

"You could have failed." Came the reply much to Howlett's surprise. It must have shown as Melville went on "I'm deadly serious. Your mission was to eliminate Doom, in this you succeeded. To be honest, this is one of the better outcomes."

For a moment, Howlett was able to ignore the pain in his knee as he digested this information. And did not like it at all "You don't care what happens to the countries do you? Just so long as you came out on top. That village Doom destroyed, you never cared about that, it was all about the wrong person getting to the top. It's all some damn game to you."

For the first he had seen since he knew the man, Howlett saw Melville look down at his desk, saddened as he said "It is true Howlett that there are those who see what I do as a mere game to play with lives taking the place of pawn. But I do not. I try my best to make sure those serving British interests do not die needlessly. To some it is a game, I merely try to see that Britain does not find itself in checkmate."

Taking a cigar from out of his pocket, Howlett lit it up, blowing the smoke out impatiently "So what now then?"

Misunderstanding the question, Melville grunted "Oh the usual whenever there's a crisis. Germany will probably try to prop up the Empire and everyone else will try to tear it to shreds. There'll be a conference I expect where the spoils are handed out and we'll dodge a War by the skin of our teeth. Germany will be without Allies for now, just as our interests need. As I said, the results could have been worse."

Giving a look of annoyance, Howlett said "I meant the team. Are you going to break us up now that we're done?"

"Done?" Melville asked in surprise "You're far from done Howlett. Doom was merely one of many crises that face us. China, America and we're even receiving reports of a revolt in the Congo which could destabilise the entire region. Your services shall be retained, for an appropriate fee of course."

Well the last part offered some comfort at least, British Intelligence were big tippers at times. Rising from the chair, Howlett blew out another puff of smoke "So that's it then? Doom's dead and the only ones to suffer are those who're going to die when that whole country collapses. Not exactly what I was hoping for."

"On the whole, the cost could have been much higher. A small consolation, but one we have to live with nonetheless." Melville watched as Howlett shook his head in response before turning to leave when he gave the Canadian a final word "You've acted out your orders before Howlett, don't pretend that this is any different. I act upon my duty to the country and for that; the lives of few must be sacrificed. I thought you had realised this by now."

Howlett paused at the door at those words before shrugging "Yeah, I guess I should have." He muttered darkly before closing the door behind him, leaving Melville to his work.

Geneva, Switzerland, August 1900:

In a small, fashionable café in one of the more fashionable districts of Geneva, no one paid attention to the poorly dressed and filthy man sitting on the street corner, idly handling a spoon he had stolen from a house along the way in his travels. His mind focused on his exile and current state, Max Eisenhardt weighed his options as much as he could. After three months of travelling through Poland and Germany, he had made it to Switzerland, finally confident that he had outwitted his pursuers.

The fork idly bent from side to side without Eisenhardt putting pressure on it. Over the last few months during his escape he had put great practice into developing these new found powers of his, the fork being only one of many he had stolen and experimented on. Eisenhardt was confident of his abilities in manipulating metal very much now. The power it promised was immense; he stood on the brink of a brave new era… if he only had something to fight for. He had been betrayed by those he had attempted to protect and now lacked a cause.

In his frustration, bending the fork until it snapped, he did not even notice the man standing over him until he heard the words _"That is quite an ability there my friend." _**(1)**

Eisenhardt looked up to see where the voice had come from. It was evening and as a result, there were fewer people around than there would have been, the man standing in front of Eisenhardt the closest one to him. Looking at the man, Eisenhardt wasn't really impressed; he was unimposing with a thick goatee, receding hairline and strict countenance. He looked like a minor civil servant or a struggling lawyer with his old suit worn in some places. The only think that struck out about the man was the Russian accent he had which betrayed his nationality _"Leave me Russian. Unless you want to learn what other tricks I can do with this fork." _**(2)**

The man raised an eyebrow at that as he took a moment to get his mouth round the largely neglected language before changing to it _"Ah, Polish I see. And may I ask just what you are doing in Switzerland? A man with your talents could do so much better."_

Thinking he was being mocked, Eisenhardt twitched his fingers, changing the shape of the fork, melding it into the shape of a blade and just as sharp before pointing it directly at the stranger, his temper overriding his minor surprise of hearing Polish being spoken by the man _"State your business Russian or be the worst for it. I've killed the soldiers of your nation; I won't hesitate to kill you."_

Rather than appear intimidated as Eisenhardt expected at the threat, he merely gave a smirk and a nod _"I see. So your enemies are my enemies. If you oppose the Tsar, I shall stand with you side by side. And with your powers, the Revolution shall follow."_

Feeling off balance as the stranger's eyes gained a gleam as he spoke; Eisenhardt rose to his feet to look the stranger in the face. That smile on his face remained, not one of pleasure but that of a poker player who just found a Royal Flush in his hand _"Who are you Russian? And what do you want with me?"_

The Russian held out his hand, giving it for Eisenhardt to shake _"My name is Vladimir Lenin. And if you're like those I've been hearing about from my compatriots around Europe, you and I shall bring all Imperialists crashing to the ground. Are you interested in aiding the cause of Communism?" _**(3)**

Now Eisenhardt had never heard of Communism, the word was completely alien to him. But to avenge himself against Russia and bring down the Tsarist Government? He'd make a deal with the Devil in order to grasp that chance. Hesitating at first, Eisenhardt nevertheless grasped the hand in front of him; both grips were of iron, showing the wills behind them. Without relinquishing his hand, Eisenhardt asked _"While I am helping you bring down the Russians, do you think you could help me find out why I have these powers?"_

That cold smile never left Lenin's face as he replied _"If my sources are right, then the truth could very well be a sign of the Revolution to come. But before we continue, may I find out the name of my new comrade in arms?"_

"_Eisenhardt… that was the name of the Jewish peasant I once was. For a Revolutionary, something else will be needed." _

A laugh came from Lenin's lips. Like the rest of him, it was short, clipped and precise _"That shall come later. For now, I invite you to my apartments here and we shall discuss what the future holds there." _Motioning for Eisenhardt to walk beside him, Lenin started to walk towards what he hoped was a brilliant new future. Eisenhardt caught up with him, looking forward to what could be and wondering how this 'Communism' would fit into it all. It would certainly be something to be taken into account…

Boma, **(4)** Congo Free State:

Taking a breath through his nose, T'Challa gave a smile as he looked around at the chaos surrounding him. Boma was in flames, an Army, led by T'Challa himself had struck deep and hard into enemy territory, leaving few alive. Those who had used the Congo region as their own personal slave pit and resource location were now lying dead in their own blood. It was a fitting end to their crimes, killing countless thousands out of greed and wilful stupidity. Well no more, Boma would only be the first of European settlements to be put to bullet and flame, T'Challa would make sure of that.

Another look round the settlement told T'Challa all he needed to know, the buildings that had once stood here were either in flames or in ruins, the sudden attack had given little time for any defence to be mounted, all those within Boma were killed. T'Challa reflected that he would have preferred the massacre not to be so outright, but vengeance was what his people wanted and quite frankly, he felt some reluctance in stopping them, the stumps some had instead of hands reminding him of just why they were fighting. **(5)**

Bringing T'Challa out of his thoughts was a man approaching him and giving a bow. He looked at the man, short, at least compared to T'Challa himself and instead of hair cut short, it was long and tied into thick locks that ran down to his shoulders with a streak of white amongst the black. He wore more European style clothing as opposed to the traditional Tribal outfits worn by everyone else under T'Challa, loose fitting short trousers and shirt substituting more traditional garments. And he was the only one who could do so, his influence with T'Challa one reason why he still lived _"The men say that they've driven off the last of the defenders, we've won. If you call this winning." _**(6)**

The distaste in the other man's voice did not go unnoticed as the King looked at the man fulfilling the role of a highly dissatisfied servant with a harsh look _"You do not like my methods Jericho? Then you are as much my enemy as those from Europe are."_

Jericho scowled at those words, the hint that he was an enemy fraying his already weakened patience. He had not travelled all the way from Haiti to help in the cause for independence to be accused of betraying the cause. Hadn't he given the Wakandan King what he asked for, scientific knowledge and supplies from his homeland to fight against the Europeans? He had wanted a Revolution to happen true enough, but not at this cost, he had hoped for a modern state leading Africa to a new age, not a bloodbath _"We could have negotiated." _Jericho hissed _"We could have stood as a power Europe might have ignored if we were lucky. But now, because of this, they'll come after us and strangle this Revolution in the cradle."_

"_And we'll be ready for them." _T'Challa insisted, his gratitude for Jericho's work long since worn thin. He had enough advisors as it was; Jericho had largely served his purpose and could be soon dispensed with _"We shall be rid of their influence regardless of what they do. We have a united Army now, and nothing shall stand against our independence."_

With that statement, T'Challa gave a dismissive wave, silently telling him to leave. Giving a scowl that was ignored, Jericho left the King to his thoughts while surveying the carnage around him. This wasn't what he wanted, he had hoped for something better but after such brutality, it was only to be expected. These were the payments of King Leopold's sins and Jericho knew that the worst was yet to come.

To be continued…

**1: Translated from German.**

**2: Translated from Polish.**

**3: Vladimir Lenin (Born Vladimir Ulyanov) was a major of the Russian Socialist movement and later leader of the Bolshevik movement when the former split between Lenin's faction and the opposition. Lenin would later lead the Bolsheviks successfully in the Russian Revolution and establishing the World's first Communist state.**

**4: A major settlement of the Congo Free State.**

**5: One of the major exports of the Congo Free State was rubber which was gathered by the Native people of the region. When the people were unable to meet their quota, their hands were cut off as punishment. Small Wars were not unknown between the people of the Congo as they tried desperately to gain the hands of their neighbours rather than face the punishment themselves. The atrocities were common and even to the other European powers, despicable.**

**6: Translated from Tshiluba.**

**One more chapter yet before we wrap up this part of the trilogy. Hopefully be a good lead in to the next segment. Hope you've enjoyed and please read and review!**


	9. First Mission Accomplished

Marvel: 1900

Limehouse, London, August 1900:

Outwardly, the building appeared to be as ramshackle as those that surrounded it, wooden and slightly leaning to one side. But looking inside through the door revealed the pale light of rather expensive lamps. The décor was rich, showing the wealth of the person who owned the premises and the rather burly men who looked as if they didn't have a sense of humour showed that said décor was not to be messed around with.

Upon entering the building, Wagner raised an eyebrow at the sudden change. He had never even thought about entering a house of sin before but Huanxin had been adamant upon coming in and the rest of the group did not even bother to entertain the thought of letting her go alone. Wagner was unsure as to why they were coming in here but he would stand beside Huanxin and ignore the obvious temptation of the rather pretty Chinese girls sitting on a large couch at one end of the room who looked over to the group and smiled before giving them several curious glances as the idea that they were customers soon vanished like mist.

One of the large men approached the group, giving them a suspicious look before asking in hesitant English "What you want?"

It was Huanxin who spoke up, ignoring the pain in her sore ribs and wrist as she said clearly in Chinese "_We shall speak directly to Madame Yuriko immediately, we have urgent business with her._"

The man looked at the group with obvious hesitance, although Huanxin herself showed obvious signs of injury with a stoop as she walked and her wrist in a sling, three of her companions, two of which looked particularly dangerous, certainly looked healthy enough for trouble. Although the man clad in the robes of a Christian Monk was certainly confusing. Realising he was more than a little out of his depth, the man decided to speak to Madame Yuriko, giving a nod to two other bulky men as a signal to keep an eye on things.

As the man rushed off to get Yuriko, Huanxin reached into her jacket and pulled out the crown she had stolen from Doom's castle. Creed raised an eyebrow at seeing the crown being pulled out "You're giving that to her? Kind of a waste don't you think?"

Giving a shrug, Huanxin held the crown tight as she answered "Madame Yuriko saved my life. Need to repay her."

Creed had certain thoughts on what else could be used to repay Madame Yuriko, flowers for example. Or a postcard from the group as they holidayed on the French Riviera. Those seemed to be much better (For Creed's pocket anyway) presents than the finest crafted crown in all Europe. Regretting he hadn't been the one to grab it first, Creed went along with Huanxin's plan, hoping it wasn't going to lead to too much trouble.

It took only a few moments for Madame Yuriko to arrive, her appearance immaculate, kimono straight and make up superb. Not one part of her outside appearance showed the confusion and anger that surged beneath her. She gave one look at the group before recognising Huanxin with a flicker of annoyance. Taking note of those around her, she spoke in English "What are you doing back here?"

With a dramatic flourish, Huanxin threw the crown towards Yuriko's feet, the clang reverberating around the room before silence set in as people did quick calculations of just how much it was worth. Yuriko bent down and picked up the crown, admiring the sigh of it and a gleam in her eyes showed her glee at the gift "And to what do I owe such generosity?"

"Financial suicide." Creed muttered darkly before a glare from the rest of the group silenced him.

Looking back at Yuriko, Huanxin gave the older woman a cold look "Payment for saving my life, nothing more."

An icy smile crossed Yuriko's face, showing she didn't believe the teenaged girl "Oh, I disagree Gai-jin; you wouldn't give me something like this unless there was something you so badly wanted." She idly ran a finger across the gold of the crown, admiring the richness of it "Those who murdered your parents, they were never caught were they?"

At the sound of Huanxin's silence, Yuriko's smile only broadened as she slipped the crown into her kimono, taking away that distraction "So it is agreed then, for this payment, I shall personally see to it that those who killed your family are done away with."

"No!" Huanxin almost shouted, honest fear crossing her face at the thought of more death "Send them to the police. No more murders."

A small smirk crossed Yuriko's face as she gave the girl a contemptuous look "Do you honestly believe the British would ever do the right thing for us?"

Huanxin paused at the question before turning around and looking at her friends. She gave the smallest hint of a smile before turning back to Yuriko "I do." She replied simply.

Suppressing a snort of contempt at the girl, Yuriko gave a regal nod "Very well then. I shall find those who killed your parents and deliver them to the British. After that, we'll see if your faith remains."

Although it wasn't said out loud, both Creed and Howlett had a feeling that it would be… to an extent. Melville would want to keep Huanxin happy and he would pull enough strings to make sure it went to trial, even if it was merely their words against Huanxin's. Whether or not a 'proper' jury could be found was another matter. Huanxin gave the others a quick look; she had done what she had come here for, nothing else was needed "We'll be going." Howlett stated gruffly as he started to notice a small crowd gathering beside the door. The gesture with the Crown must have attracted some undue attention and there were more than a few who would cut a throat at seeing that amount of riches in one place.

The group slowly filed out, Huanxin giving Madame Yuriko one last bow of her head before leaving just behind Creed, the rest following with Howlett bringing up the rear, the back of his hands itching as he felt unseen eyes watching every move. It was with some relief that they all clambered into the horse drawn carriage that had brought them here without having to draw up in defence. As the carriage started to pull away, Huanxin let out a long breath, as if she had been holding it in all this time, the pressure only just being released.

Ororo looked to her side at the girl, still only thirteen and already have gone through so much. She rested a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving a warm smile "How're you feeling?"

The girl shrugged idly, not wanting to give way to her feelings completely. She felt drained and oddly hopeful, the thought that the murders of her parents would soon be brought to justice "I think so… I want to go home." She shrugged off the hand, still unsure on how to feel about it all.

"We'll have to stop by the doctor when we get there." Wagner said, wincing as he felt his wrist twinge with pain "The one they sent to the hotel only did a temporary job I feel." He shifted himself as he tried to get his wrist more comfortable. The doctor at the hotel had said his work was good enough for the carriage and train rides home but Wagner nevertheless hoped for better treatment when they got back to the castle. He looked over to Huanxin, wondering how she was bearing up with those injuries she had received from Doom "Are you truly well Fräulein? If you are trying to shield yourself from the pain, I believe we can all tell you that ignoring such pain will only make it worse. I had thought that you knew us well enough to speak to us openly."

Inwardly sighing at the sudden increase in peer pressure, Huanxin nevertheless felt her defences crumble as she realised that she could not keep them up, her feelings were too strong to keep them bottled up. She let out a sigh before leaning forward; dropping all defences "I miss them." She practically whispered "I wish they were here."

Ororo put her hand on Huanxin's shoulder once more, this time it wasn't shaken off "Justice shall soon be upon those who were responsible for their deaths Huanxin." Her voice was firm as she comforted the child. The girl smiled sadly at the group around her, they were not her parents. But they were her family, as good a one as she could hope for if rough around the edges. She began to speak, letting out the emotions that the meeting with Madame Yuriko had created. The group listened and each in their own way offered what comfort they could. They were not the best at it, but to Huanxin, she could not hope for more.

With the group gone, Yuriko retired to her room before pulling out the crown, admiring the beauty of it. She hastily brought herself down to business though. When Zhang Tong had been informed that Yuriko had allowed an Adapt, a Chinese one to boot, to go to the British, he had been… displeased. And Zhang Tong often became quite vocal about things that displeased him; to the extent that Yuriko doubted even being several thousand miles away could protect her. The delivery of this crown could prove to be a saving grace for her; Zhang Tong was somewhat infamous for his taste for the extravagancies of Europe. The crown would be worth a lot to Yuriko, but she valued her skin much more.

Old War Office Building, London:

Slowly and with great precision, Melville slid the whisky back into the drawer. He was not normally a drinker, but even the sight of the man before him was enough to drive him to a quick quaff to dull his nerves. Turning in his chair to face the man that sat in front of his desk, Melville turned to business "Well then, hopefully you already know about what's going on in the Congo. The revolt by T'Challa's coalition is crushing the Belgians wherever they stand. Everyone and their dog knew that Leopold was sending the place to Hell but we can't afford a revolt in our African colonies if this spreads. Do you follow?"

The man opposite nodded slowly and made some muffled noises that sounded oddly resentful. Taking this as a positive answer, Melville went on "T'Challa must be dealt with and the sooner, the better. Use any means necessary but we would prefer it to look like natural causes. Understand?"

The man opposite from Melville understood completely. He was great at natural deaths. It was perfectly natural to die from being shot in the head after all. He sat in silence that was unusual for him as Melville finished "You'll be sent on a boat immediately to the Congo. You will be fully briefed on the way there before being dropped off on the coast. It is vital that you complete this mission before his revolt spreads to our colonies. You shall of course be paid handsomely for your service as usual." With those words, Melville got up from his seat and walked over to the door of his office, opening it and saying "You can come fetch him now." He said to two men who had been standing beside the door on guard.

Following Melville, the two men walked over to the man sitting in front of the desk and picked up the chair he was sitting on, the man having been tied to it for extra security and the silence had been due to a thick gag, the latter being more out of having to save people from extreme annoyance. As the man was carried by the two guards, Melville quickly raised a hand to make them pause as he said "One last thing, your usual shenanigans will not be looked upon kindly. This is to be pure business, do you understand Mr. Wilson?"

Wade Wilson, muted by the gag which had been wrapped around his mouth to preserve the patience of everyone in the building gave another nod, glaring at Melville. It had taken six men to jump him and strap on the gag before Melville would agree to see him. Wilson merely nodded, his bad mood assuaged somewhat by the promise of payment. He was carried out in silence to the relief of many as Melville sat back down in his chair, glad that Wilson would now be the Congo's problem _"Poor devils." _He thought as he allowed himself one moment to relax _"As if King Leopold wasn't enough…"_

House of Commons, Palace of Westminster, London:

It was a relatively small turn out it this particular session of the Commons. The lack of turn out was probably due to it being a relatively slow time for internal politics. For Europe it was going pretty mad with the collapse of Austro-Hungary and a conference was being hastily organised to take place in Geneva to sort out the ramifications of that. For Britain and her Empire though, the victory of the Boer War had meant it was just business as usual. The announcement of a new Ministry would have garnered some attention if not for the fact that it appeared largely to be a new Science Ministry of some kind, supposedly taking over from the Royal Society, not without controversy but everyone could wait until what the plans were before kicking up a fuss.

Rather surprisingly for some, a junior Minister by the name of Brian Braddock was given the responsibility to give the announcement to the Commons, word leaking out that he would be leading the Ministry. Evidently Robert Cecil had taken a liking to the lad but with those rather dark rumours concerning the man's sister, many were left to wonder why he was being promoted in such a fashion. As Braddock rose from his place in the front benches, he coughed nervously to clear his throat. Though less than half the total amount of MP's had turned up for this, he was still quite overwhelmed at the thought of addressing the Members before him and hoped he wouldn't make an ass of himself.

"Honourable Members of the House," He started "As per my new responsibilities of accepting the role as the head of a new Ministry, I have been asked to confirm that which has long been rumour. As I am sure that some of the members are aware, news has leaked through of men and women throughout Great Britain and her colonies with fantastic powers and appearances, far beyond that which was thought within the realm of the possible." Braddock took a breath before going on "I am here today to tell you that these are no longer mere rumours. They are fact, people with great powers are living among us today and Her Majesty's Government has created the Ministry of Adapt Affairs in order to monitor the phenomenon."

Later on, Braddock reflected at the silence of these words had brought about. He had expected outrage, shouts of disbelief. Instead, everyone just stared at him in silence and the occasional hushed whisper to another they were sitting by. Slightly unnerved by this, Braddock nevertheless continued "In conjunction with Scotland Yard, the Royal Society and various other organisations, the Government shall be creating an academy for the Adapts as a way for them to learn how to control their powers, plans of said academy shall be released soon. Her Majesty's Government shall also take this opportunity to ask those at home and abroad not to fear nor condemn the Adapts; it is believed they are an evolutionary output and as such, the next stage of Humanity. Instead, volunteer them so that they may come to the institution Her Majesty's Government is creating in order to better explore and understand their powers."

With that, Braddock sat down with the smallest relief that he didn't flub the speech at least. For one, long, icy moment, silence reigned as everyone stared at Braddock in shock, thinking about what he had said. Then, as if it every bench in the Commons had suddenly set on fire, every single MP jumped to their feet, shouting, demanding answers to questions, leading with overwhelming noise as they shouted at the top of their voices. Ignoring the calls for order from the Speaker, the demands for information only grew. An island of calm amid this storm of activity, Braddock could wait until the shouts had died down before answering the questions. The success against Doom had paved the way for them to initiate this program for the Adapts; Braddock could only hope that other nations would follow their path. He could only foresee misery if they did not.

Pulling himself away from worries of the future and regrets of the fate of Betsy, Brian noticed that the furore had calmed down somewhat and he rose from the bench to answer the questions posed before him.

Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire:

From his hiding place amid the trees, Joseph spied upon the returning group with concentration. It was hard for him to keep up his intelligence when he was so far away from her but he managed to do what he could, sending messages along the telegraph only he and she could understand. With a twist of his head, Joseph saw them in the distance, a carriage pulling up the castle, the windows were clear and he could see the people inside. Straining to see, Joseph could just about count them, taking some moments to realise that the same number had left.

Being so far away from her had denied Joseph the reasoning he could have easily have had and as such, stood for some time before he realised the importance of this information. Finally turning around, Joseph ran off down the path towards the hidden location of the communication spot. He didn't look at all out of place as he rushed forward, the perfect spy for such a location.

The end, for now

**Part one of this trilogy finished. Hope you've enjoyed so far, part two should come after I've finished some other stuff. Hope you've enjoyed this and remember to let me know what you thought!**


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